Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

  • 제35권
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  • Pages.17.1-17.6
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  • 2023
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  • 1225-3618(pISSN)
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  • 2052-4374(eISSN)
대한직업환경의학회 (The Korean Society of Occupational & Environmental Medicine)
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Statement by the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine on the proposed reform of working hours in South Korea

  • Hee-Tae Kang (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Chul-Ju Kim (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Dong-Wook Lee (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Seung-Gwon Park (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Jinwoo Lee (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Kanwoo Youn (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Hwan-Cheol Kim (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Kyoung Sook Jeong (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Hansoo Song (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Sung-Kyung Kim (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine) ;
  • Sang-Baek Koh (Institutional Improvement Committee of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine)
  • 투고 : 2023.05.16
  • 심사 : 2023.06.28
  • 발행 : 2023.12.31
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초록

The current 52-hour workweek in South Korea consists of 40 hours of regular work and 12 hours of overtime. Although the average working hours in South Korea is declining, it is still 199 hours longer than the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 1,716 hours per year. In view to this, the South Korean government has now proposed to reform the workweek, mainly intending to increase the workweek to 69 hours when the workload is heavy. This reform, by increasing the labor intensity due to long working hours, goes against the global trend of reducing work hours for a safe and healthy working environment. Long working hours can lead to increased cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, industrial accidents, mental health problems, and safety accidents due to lack of concentration. In conclusion, the Korean government's working hour reform plan can have a negative impact on workers' health, and therefore it should be thoroughly reviewed and modified.

키워드

과제정보

This work was supported by the Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine Research Fund.

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