Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Original Article

Injury rates and work-related diseases following workforce reduction among South Korean on-site workers in basic local governments between 2016 and 2018: Dongwhan Suh, Nahyun Kim, Han-Na Jung, Woo Chul Jeong, Hyunjoo Kim; Ann Occup Environ Med 2025;37:e17. Published online July 28, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2025.37.e17

Abstract Abstract in Korean PDF Supplementary Material: Background
South Korean on-site workers in the public sector, fully covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, often perform hazardous tasks. However, their status and injury rates remain poorly documented. This study aimed to analyze changes in injury rates and the proportion of work-related diseases (WRDs) among on-site workers in basic local governments (BLGs) following workforce reductions between 2016 and 2018.
Methods
Data from two sources provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor were analyzed: organizational data on the number of on-site workers, and cases of injuries, deaths, and diseases among on-site workers in 226 BLGs from 2016 to 2018; and workers’ compensation claims data (individual data) for on-site workers in BLGs during the same period. Injury, mortality, and disease incidence rates were calculated and compared between BLGs with increased and decreased workforce. The proportion of WRDs among all the injuries was also examined.
Results
The total number of on-site workers in BLGs decreased by 18.1% in 2018 compared with 2016. The injury rate increased from 0.46% in 2016 to 0.62% in 2018. BLGs with workforce reductions showed higher injury rates, particularly in those with fewer than 1,000 on-site workers. The proportion of WRDs among all injuries increased by 1.34 times in 2018 compared with 2016.
Conclusions
Workforce reductions among on-site workers in BLGs are associated with higher injury rates and a great proportion of WRDs. These findings highlight the need for improved occupational safety and health practices within the public sector and serve as an important basis for establishing workforce management and injury prevention policies. However, limitations in the available data made it challenging to identify worker groups particularly vulnerable to WRDs. Further research is needed, as it is critical for the development of effective occupational safety and health policies.; 한국 기초자치단체 현업업무 종사자의 인력감소에 따른 재해율 및 작업관련질병 구성비 변화: 2016 - 2018년 산업재해 승인 자료 분석
Background: 산업안전보건법의 전면 적용 대상인 공공행정 기관의 현업업무 종사자들은 종종 위험한 업무를 수행하고 있으나, 이들의 현황과 이들이 겪는 재해에 대해서는 잘 알려져 있지 않다. 본 연구는 2016년부터 2018년까지 기초자치단체 현업업무 종사자에서의 인력 감소 이후 재해율 및 작업관련질병 구성비의 변화를 분석하고자 하였다.
방법
고용노동부에서 제공한 2가지 자료를 분석하였다: (1) 2016년부터 2018년까지 226개 기초자치단체 현업업무 종사자 수, 재해자 수, 사망자 수, 질병 이환자 수를 포함한 조직 수준 자료, (2) 2016년부터 2018년까지 기초자치단체 현업업무 종사자의 산업재해 승인 자료 (개별 수준 자료). 이를 통해 재해율, 사망률, 질병 이환율을 산출하고, 전년 대비 근로자 수 증감에 따라 기초자치단체를 구분하여 두 집단 간 이러한 수치를 비교하였다. 또한, 전체 산업재해 중 작업관련질병의 구성비도 분석하였다.
결과
2018년 기초자치단체 현업업무 종사자 수는 2016년 대비 18.1% 감소하였다. 재해율은 2016년 0.46%에서 2018년 0.62%로 증가하였다. 전년 대비 현업업무 종사자 수가 감소한 기초자치단체에서의 재해율은 전년 대비 증가한 기초자치단체에서의 재해율보다 더 높았으며, 이는 현업업무 종사자 수가 1,000명 미만인 기초자치단체에서 더 두드러졌다. 전체 산업재해 중 작업관련질병의 구성비는 2016년에 비해 2018년에 1.34배 증가하였다.
결론
기초자치단체의 현업업무 종사자 수 감소는 재해율 및 작업관련질병 구성비 증가와 관련이 있다. 본 연구 결과는 공공부문 현업업무 종사자의 산업안전보건에 대한 인식을 제고하고, 향후 인력관리 및 재해 예방 정책 수립을 위한 기초자료로 활용될 수 있다. 다만, 원 자료의 한계로 인해 작업관련질병에 특히 취약한 근로자 집단을 구체적으로 파악하는 데는 어려움이 있었다. 이는 산업안전보건 정책 수립 시 중요한 문제이므로 향후 추가적인 연구가 필요하다.

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Research Article

A global, cross cultural study examining the relationship between employee health risk status and work performance metrics: Ana Howarth, Jose Quesada, Peter R. Mills; Ann Occup Environ Med 2017;29:17. Published online June 12, 2017; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40557-017-0172-1

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material

Background

Health risk assessments (HRA) are used by many organisations as a basis for developing relevant and targeted employee health and well-being interventions. However, many HRA’s have a western-centric focus and therefore it is unclear whether the results can be directly extrapolated to those from non-western countries. More information regarding the differences in the associations between country status and health risks is needed along with a more global perspective of employee health risk factors and well-being overall. Therefore we aimed to i) quantify and compare associations for a number of health risk factors based on country status, and then ii) explore which characteristics can aid better prediction of well-being levels and in turn workplace productivity globally.

Methods

Online employee HRA data collected from 254 multi-national companies, for the years 2013 through 2016 was analysed (n = 117,274). Multiple linear regression models were fitted, adjusting for age and gender, to quantify associations between country status and health risk factors. Separate regression models were used to assess the prediction of well-being measures related to productivity.

Results

On average, the developing countries were comprised of younger individuals with lower obesity rates and markedly higher job satisfaction compared to their developed country counterparts. However, they also reported higher levels of anxiety and depression, a greater number of health risks and lower job effectiveness. Assessment of key factors related to productivity found that region of residency was the biggest predictor of presenteeism and poor pain management was the biggest predictor of absenteeism.

Conclusions

Clear differences in health risks exist between employees from developed and developing countries and these should be considered when addressing well-being and productivity in the global workforce.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40557-017-0172-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

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