Industrial Accident Rate Research Articles

Financial Sustainability of Social Insurance: The Case of Korean Workers’ Compensation Insurance and Possibility of Triple Moral Hazard

Abstract This study examines the economic stability of Korean Workers’ Compensation Insurance (WCI), highlighting the system’s vulnerability to triple moral hazard. Korean WCI features more generous worker compensation, lower employer premiums, and more active government involvement in accident prevention in addition to a higher industrial accident rate, compared to the system in Germany and Japan. The negotiation process of the WCI among workers, employers, and insurance managers often prioritizes short-term benefits, undermining long-term financial health. Workers seek greater compensation, employers push for lower premiums, and insurance managers may prioritize collective interests, exacerbating the system’s economic instability. Over recent years, applications for occupational disease recognition have surged, and premium rates have decreased, indicating increasing strain. To mitigate these issues, the study proposes enhancing transparency and rationality, involving non-political experts in decision-making, and clearly defining the government’s role in managing WCI. These measures aim to balance stakeholder interests and ensure the WCI system’s sustainability for future generations.

Identifying Vital Factors for Enhancing Safety Communication among Foreign Construction Field Workers

Enhancing safety communication within the construction industry is of paramount importance due to its potential in curtailing occupational injuries and improving the overall well-being of construction field workers. While the importance of improved communication is apparent, few studies have been focused on identifying the factors that positively influence communication, particularly in the context of safety. Especially in the case of foreign construction field workers (FCFWs), who often face communication challenges stemming from language and cultural differences, performing labor tasks in harsh and constantly changing environments is contributing significantly to the increasing rate of industrial accidents. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the vital factors that impact safety communication among FCFWs. A phenomenological qualitative method was applied to determine the vital factors influencing the safety communication among FCFWs. On applying the analytical hierarchy process, the factors and their importance were determined, and the vital factors were identified. Quantitative assessment through the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) established that extrinsic motivation (weight: 0.513), management communication style (0.264), and visible safety information (0.127) significantly overshadow other factors in safety communication effectiveness, validating their pivotal roles. However, a major limitation is that interview data were collected from workers of only four nationalities. Future studies should address this by expanding the range of nationalities included to enhance the diversity of experiences and perspectives from a broader variety of foreign construction field workers.

ANALYSIS OF THE LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES

Problem statement. The task of the research is evaluation the dynamics of changes in the level of injuries at work depending on the main causes of the accident. Technical, organizational, psychophysiological, technogenic, social, natural and environmental causes are closely interrelated and have a significant impact on the number of victims of accidents at the industrial plants, as well as on the number of victims of accidents with fatal consequences. The purpose of the article. The assessment of changes in industrial injuries at Ukrainian enterprises during 2010−2022. The establishing connection between social and industrial factors affecting the rate of industrial accidents. The creation of correlation-regression models for statistical evaluation and analysis of the influence of factor variables on the results of injury. Methodology. The use of descriptive statistics for the analysis of the dynamics of changes in the level of industrial injuries. Carrying out a correlation analysis to establish the density of connection between factor variables and resulting features. The use of regression-variance analysis to obtain coefficients of regression mathematical models and statistical indicators that explain the probability of significance of these coefficients. Calculation of the value of the relative error of the calculation data obtained according to mathematical models to confirm their adequacy. Scientific novelty. Multiple correlation-regression models have been developed that take into account the main causes of the accident as factor variables affecting the injury rate and the rate of fatal accidents. Practical significance. Mathematical models make estimate the impact of the main causes of accidents on the level of industrial injuries. The implementation of improved methods and means of safe activity at work is an important tool for correcting the cause-and-effect relationships of industrial injuries. Conclusions. The correlation-regression models were created to analyze the level of industrial injuries in Ukraine. The numerical calculations were carried out according to these models. The average values of the relative errors of the calculated data are 1.55 % and 6.08 %, which indicates the adequacy of the developed models.

입찰제도의 안전역량평가 개선방안에 관한 연구

To mitigate industrial accidents, various societal sectors, including the government, have been actively implementing measures. These include revising laws to bolster industrial safety and enhancing related standards. Despite these policy efforts, the rate of industrial accidents has not significantly decreased. A primary reason for the persistence of safety incidents in the construction industry is the selection of contractors with inadequate safety and health standards during the bidding process.
 This study explores legal improvements enabling local governments and public companies to prioritize bidders with proven safety capabilities. It examines the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Local Contract Act, and safety assessment systems in other countries to fulfill this objective.
 Our research indicates the necessity of implementing a safety competency evaluation prior to finalizing the successful bidder. Additionally, it highlights the need for enhancements in the contract-related system to support this initiative.

Design and Implementation of Industrial Accident Detection Model Based on YOLOv4

Korea’s industrial accident rate ranks high among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Moreover, large-scale accidents have recently occurred. Accordingly, the requirements for management and supervision in industrial sites are increasing; in this context, the “Act on Punishment of Serious Accidents, etc.” has been enacted. Aiming to prevent such industrial accidents, various data collected by devices such as sensors and closed-caption televisions (CCTVs) are utilized to track workers and detect hazardous substances, gases, and fires at industrial sites. In this study, an industrial area requiring such technology is selected. A hazardous situation event is derived, and a dataset is built using CCTV data. A violation corresponding to a hazardous situation event is detected and a warning is provided. The events incorporate requirements extracted from industrial sites, such as those concerning collision risks and the wearing of safety equipment. The precision of the event violation detection exceeds 95% and the response and delay times are under 20 ms. Thus, this system is believed to be used at industrial sites and for other intelligent industrial safety prevention solutions.

A Study on the Status of Safety and Health for Golf Course Caddies and Improvement of Protective Measures in South Korea

Due to the rapid expansion of the leisure industry, there were about 32,000 golf caddies in South Korea in 2020, an increase of 18.5% compared to 2016. Consequently, they face an increasing industrial accident rate, which is presumed to be the result of exposure to various harmful factors. Through a survey and oral interview of 221 caddies across more than 20 golf courses, health protective measures, protective measures for caddies, preparation for golf cart operation, physical burden, compliance with golf cart safety during games, and golf course responses to emotional labor were investigated in this study to identify safety and health problems of caddies and suggest prevention measures. Preliminary interviews were conducted to confirm golf courses’ safety and health status and participants’ characteristics. Golf caddies’ health and safety were confirmed using frequency analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that caddies’ workplaces were relatively vulnerable to safety and health issues and caddies were exposed to various harmful risk factors. In addition, it was confirmed that golf caddy protective measures, golf cart safety compliance, physical burden, and health protection affect golf courses’ response level to caddies’ emotional labor.

The impact of corporate culture on industrial accidents in high-risk industries: a cross-sectional survey.

The rate of industrial accidents in Korea is two to three times higher than those in advanced countries such as Germany. These accidents are mainly concentrated in high-risk industrial areas. Using the ninth wave of the Occupational Safety and Health Company Survey by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (OSHRI), we analyzed the influence of corporate culture on the occurrence of occupational accidents in high-risk industries using negative binomial regression. We found that older workers and foreign workers had a positive effect on the accident rate, while female workers had a negative effect on the accident rate. In addition, it was found that the health and safety management organization also reduced occupational accidents. Corporate culture and workplace environment significantly reduced industrial accidents among workers. This suggests that internal elements of an organization such as corporate culture and working environment can have an impact in reducing the occurrence of industrial accidents.

ANALYSIS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS ON THE WEARABLE ASSIST SUIT FOR REPETITIVE AGRICULTURAL TASK

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common among farmers and farming constitutes the highest industrial accident rate. To prevent these, we developed a smart auxiliary workwear and investigated its effectiveness through human impact assessment experiments. In our method, the actuator of the waist elastic band was released when there was no need to directly adjust the length with the strength support of the waist, and the elastic band was held once the motion using the waist strength disappeared. To examine the performance, 15 workers were recruited; before the experiment, they were subjected to a basic fitness evaluation to examine their general characteristics. The lumbar peak torques before and after wearing the designed work clothes were measured using the Biodex System III to determine their lumbar assistance power, which was confirmed to have increased by approximately 17%. In addition, electromyographic comparison of the amount of muscle used before and after the wearing revealed that the muscle use was reduced by 26.41% and 19.38% after wearing the work clothes when the weight was lifted in the stooping and squatting postures, respectively. Based on these results, it can be stated that the proposed smart assistive work clothes could contribute to reduced muscle usage required for work and lessen related weariness by supporting the waist, and thus, would greatly help farmers in preventing musculoskeletal disorders.

In-house Contractors’ Exposure to Risks and Determinants of Industrial Accidents; With Focus on Companies Handling Hazardous Chemicals

BackgroundThe series of serious industrial accidents in recent years at contractors to large companies has highlighted risk outsourcing as a real and urgent problem. This study aims to review the difference in the degree of risk exposure and the occurrence of industrial accidents depending on the type of company relations. Among in-house contractors, the focus will be on those handling hazardous chemicals that include companies for which outsourcing requires approval.MethodsThis study uses the 9th wave of the Industrial Safety and Health Survey (2018). For determining the degree of risk exposure, the occurrence of industrial accidents, and industrial accident rate, multivariate, logistic, and fractional logit, regression analyses were used, respectively.ResultsFirst, In-house contractors’ degree of risk exposure is higher than that of the client companies. In particular, this gap is even greater for companies dealing with chemicals. Second, among only those that handle hazardous chemicals, in-house contractors do show a significantly higher rate of industrial accident occurrence. Third, In-house contractors have a significantly higher rate of industrial accidents from diseases than client companies.ConclusionThe analysis supports the intent of the legal amendment that strengthens the protection of in-house contracted workers who handle hazardous chemicals. Second, the results of this study suggest that safety and health management must go beyond legal compliance and ensure that it has substance and effectiveness. Last, there should be policy consideration is necessary to reduce attempts to hide industrial accidents.

‘For the workers but without the workers’: industrial accident management under the Franco dictatorship (1939-1966)

ABSTRACT In the first decades of this century, Spain still has a high industrial accident rate compared with other Western European countries. Within the framework of the most recent historiographical theses, this paper analyses the historical roots of this situation, focusing on the institutions that historically managed industrial accident insurance coverage, especially during the first decades of the Franco Dictatorship (1939–1966). This study examines how Francoist social policy favoured employers by prolonging the control of this insurance in the hands of private institutions, insurance companies and, above all, employers’ industrial accident mutuals, which excluded worker participation in its management and promoted this social coverage as a business. Archival and statistical documentation makes it possible to demonstrate that entities such as the employers’ industrial accident mutuals managed a substantial volume of the premiums paid by employers, which brought them significant profits through the refund of part of these premiums in the form of rebates. This was possible because at the same time they destined no or negligible funding to prevention and rehabilitation of workers. Ultimately, employers’ management of this insurance allowed them to meet this obligation cheaply, while maintaining a historically high accident rate in Spain and hindered the development of a culture of prevention of occupational risks.

Developing Concentration Index of Industrial and Occupational Accidents: The Case of European Countries.

BackgroundFrom only frequency rate of industrial accidents, it is difficult to define the industry composition of accident statistics in a nation. This study aims to propose and develop a new index for measuring the degree of concentration of industrial accidents using the concept of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index in the case of European countries.MethodsUsing the concept of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, the concentration index of accidents in the country is developed, and the conditions of European countries are compared using indexes of frequency rate and concentration ratio.ResultsThe frequency rate and concentration ratio of fatal and nonfatal accidents in European countries are compared. According to the economic condition and geographical position, different patterns of accidents concentration are presented in terms of frequency rate and concentration ratio.ConclusionWe develop the concentration index of industrial and occupational accidents that identifies the industrial ratio of accident occurrence, and the differentiated strategy can be formulated such as approaches to reducing frequency and prioritizing target industries.

Application of the Six Sigma principles in the construction industry to solve workplace accidents: a case study

In this paper, the adaptation of the Six Sigma principle through the DMAIC methodology for the construction industry was investigated and implemented. The application selected methodology concerning the detailed determination of the phases of DMAIC with the primary objective is to solve workplace accidents in the construction industry. The DMAIC methodology was selected for detailed investigation and implementation in the construction industry. Each phase of DMAIC will be developed systematically by using selected quality tools to ensure solving the workplace accident in the construction area. The findings from the data analysed imply that DMAIC methodology is an effective approach in minimising the workplace accident. Based on the investigation and implementation of the selected construction cell, the result shows the adaptation of DMAIC with suitable tools for each phase complements well with the occupational, safety, and health (OSH) program. The industrial accident rate was drastically eliminated by implementing the whole phases.

Application of the Six Sigma principles in the construction industry to solve workplace accidents: a case study

In this paper, the adaptation of the Six Sigma principle through the DMAIC methodology for the construction industry was investigated and implemented. The application selected methodology concerning the detailed determination of the phases of DMAIC with the primary objective is to solve workplace accidents in the construction industry. The DMAIC methodology was selected for detailed investigation and implementation in the construction industry. Each phase of DMAIC will be developed systematically by using selected quality tools to ensure solving the workplace accident in the construction area. The findings from the data analysed imply that DMAIC methodology is an effective approach in minimising the workplace accident. Based on the investigation and implementation of the selected construction cell, the result shows the adaptation of DMAIC with suitable tools for each phase complements well with the occupational, safety, and health (OSH) program. The industrial accident rate was drastically eliminated by implementing the whole phases.

Predicting types of occupational accidents at construction sites in Korea using random forest model

Although industrial accident rates are gradually decreasing in Korea, the construction industry's accident rate is still higher compared with other industries. Human errors, mentally unstable workers, insufficient safety training, and safety policy affect the occurrence of construction accidents. Owing to the characteristics of this industry, occupational accident types, such as fall from height, collision with objects, rollover, and those due to falling objects, can be related to the weather data.Therefore, to reduce and prevent occupational injury, it is necessary to classify and predict occupational accident types in detail. In this study, we built a model to classify and predict occupational accident types using a random forest (RF). We extracted important factors that affect the occupational accident types at construction sites using feature importance, and we analyzed the relationship between these factors and occupational accident types. The accuracy score of the RF model was obtained as 71.3%, and we presented key construction safety factors considering the feature importance. For future research, we will collect data and develop models to predict occupational accident types in real-time. Real-time construction accident prediction research will reduce accident at construction sites.

Control of Industrial Safety Based on Dynamic Characteristics ofa Safety Budget-Industrial Accident Rate Model in Republic of Korea.

BackgroundDespite the recent efforts to prevent industrial accidents in the Republic of Korea, the industrial accident rate has not improved much. Industrial safety policies and safety management are also known to be inefficient. This study focused on dynamic characteristics of industrial safety systems and their effects on safety performance in the Republic of Korea. Such dynamic characteristics are particularly important for restructuring of the industrial safety system.MethodsThe effects of damping and elastic characteristics of the industrial safety system model on safety performance were examined and feedback control performance was explained in view of cost and benefit. The implications on safety policies of restructuring the industrial safety system were also explored.ResultsA strong correlation between the safety budget and the industrial accident rate enabled modeling of an industrial safety system with these variables as the input and the output, respectively. A more effective and efficient industrial safety system could be realized by having weaker elastic characteristics and stronger damping characteristics in it. A substantial decrease in total social cost is expected as the industrial safety system is restructured accordingly.ConclusionA simple feedback control with proportional–integral action is effective in prevention of industrial accidents. Securing a lower level of elastic industrial accident-driving energy appears to have dominant effects on the control performance compared with the damping effort to dissipate such energy. More attention needs to be directed towards physical and social feedbacks that have prolonged cumulative effects. Suggestions for further improvement of the safety system including physical and social feedbacks are also made.

Effectiveness of Direct Safety Regulations on Manufacturers and Users of Industrial Machines: Its Implications on Industrial Safety Policies in Republic of Korea.

BackgroundDespite considerable efforts made in recent years, the industrial accident rate and the fatality rate in the Republic of Korea are much higher than those in most developed countries in Europe and North America. Industrial safety policies and safety regulations are also known to be ineffective and inefficient in some cases.MethodsThis study focuses on the quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of direct safety regulations such as safety certification, self-declaration of conformity, and safety inspection of industrial machines in the Republic of Korea. Implications on safety policies to restructure the industrial safety system associated with industrial machines are also explored.ResultsAnalysis of causes in industrial accidents associated with industrial machines confirms that technical causes need to be resolved to reduce both the frequency and the severity of such industrial accidents. Statistical analysis also confirms that the indirect effects of safety device regulation on users are limited for a variety of reasons. Safety device regulation needs to be shifted to complement safety certification and self-declaration of conformity for more balanced direct regulations on manufacturers and users. An example of cost-benefit analysis on conveyor justifies such a transition.ConclusionIndustrial safety policies and regulations associated with industrial machines must be directed towards eliminating the sources of danger at the stage of danger creation, thereby securing the safe industrial machines. Safety inspection further secures the safety of workers at the stage of danger use. The overall balance between such safety regulations is achieved by proper distribution of industrial machines subject to such regulations and the intensity of each regulation. Rearrangement of industrial machines subject to safety certification and self-declaration of conformity to include more movable industrial machines and other industrial machines with a high level of danger is also suggested.

건설업 산업재해발생률 산정·평가기준 개선방안 연구

건설업 산업재해발생률 산정·평가기준 개선방안 연구

시계열분석을 통한 산업재해율 예측

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to predict industrial accident rate using time series analysis. METHODS: The rates of industrial accident and occupational injury death were analyzed using industrial accident statistics analysis system of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency from 2001 to 2014. Time series analysis was done using the most recent data, such as raw materials of Economically Active Population Survey, Economic Statistics System of the Bank of Korea, and e-National indicators. The best-fit model with time series analysis to predict occupational injury was developed by identifying predictors when the value of Akaike Information Criteria was the lowest point. Variables into the model were selected through a series of expertises' consultations and literature review, which consisted of socioeconomic structure, labor force structure, working conditions, and occupational accidents. RESULTS: Indexes at the meso- and macro-levels predicting well occurrence of occupational accidents and occupational injury death were labor force participation rate for ages 45-49 and budget for small scaled work-place support. The rates of industrial accident and occupational injury death are expected to decline. CONCLUSION: For reducing industrial accident continuously, we call for safe employment policy of economically active middle aged adults and support for improving safety work environment of small sized workplace. Copyright © 2016. Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors Language: kr

Development of Methods of Optimal Design of High-Pressure Releasable Connections

The basic assumptions of a technique of optimal design of releasable hoop connections developed at Irkutsk-NIIkhimmash are considered. The technique is based on the use of the finite element method in combination with application methods of multidimensional optimization and makes it possible to design a hoop connection of minimal mass while simultaneously satisfying strength and air-tightness constraints. Through the use of the proposed technique and a computer program that is part of the COMPASS software system, we were able to introduce a number of releasable hood connections of standard sizes at the Chemical Plant of Angarsk Petrochemical Company of Rosneft as well as optimize the costs of maintenance and repair of the high-pressure equipment and reduce the rate of industrial accidents occurring in the course of repair operations.

Planning and financing labor protection measures

In order to decrease the rate of industrial injuries and accidents, each company should plan and finance labor protection measures. Employment legislation provides for annual activities for improving labor conditions and safety and for decreasing the professional risk level. The Ministry of Labor has developed the measures that are subject to compulsory implementation. The implementation of labor protection measures will allow employers to increase the economic effectiveness of production and competitiveness of their companies.