Characteristics and Causes of Industrial Accidents in Korean Industry

우리 나라 산업재해의 발생 원인 및 특성에 관한 연구

The purpose of accident analysis is to obtain accurate and objective information about the causes of accidents in order to prevent accidents from reoccurring. This study investigated the characteristics and causes of occupational accidents in Korean industry by comparison with those of Japan and U.S.A The results show that there are some characteristics in the accidents of Korean industry; (1)larger companies tend to have lower accident rates than the smaller ones; (2) inexperience is related to high accident rates; (3) 'awkward or sudden movement' and 'caught in and between object' represents the leading accident type; (4) the body sites most vulnerable to injury are the hands and fingers; and (5) 'fractures' is the leading injury type. These findings identified in this study can be used to prevent the industrial accidents.