Accidents resulting in disability in vulnerable populations and their consequences: A study of vulnerable worker groups in South Korea

Abstract

This study aimed to identify worker groups that are to accidents and to track the changes in their socioeconomic status there after. We analyzed the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS) database (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006) were recorded according to the participant's economic activity status at the beginning of follow-up, and economic activity status was. During the follow-up period, the unemployed group experienced more accidents that resulted in disability than the economically active group. Interestingly, the unemployed group also had the highest industrial accident rate. Among the employed, daily and unpaid family workers were more vulnerable to disabilities. After the accidents, the participants tended to become economically inactive or unemployed. Compared to other worker groups, the economically inactive, unemployed, and daily and unpaid family workers experienced higher rates of accidents and faced graver conditions as a result. Although they constitute a significantly large part of society, these vulnerable workers are not currently covered by any social security measures, such as accident surveillance, training, and accident insurance. Social policy should therefore be directed toward protecting these vulnerable worker groups.

Analysis of the Severity and Cause and Effect of Occupational Accidents in South Korea

“…Consequently, extensive research has been carried out in recent decades to enhance safety performance on construction sites [3,4,16]. The socio-demographic factors, including gender, age, occupation, and work experience in relation to accident occurrences, have been widely analyzed to increase construction site safety performance [9,17,18]. These factors are vital in identifying vulnerable societal groups, thus aiding the implementation of protective policies tailored to those specific groups.…”