• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.47-53
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• 2021

The fatality rate is used to estimate each country's risk level. However, the fatality rate is calculated using the number of fatal accidents and workers, which is collected differently across countries. It is therefore problematic to use these numbers in an equivalent way. This study proposes a new approach for calculating the number of full-time equivalent workers when evaluating individual countries' fatality rate by suggesting an equivalent condition for the calculation of the number of full-time equivalent workers. This study proceeds in three steps: (i) analysis of the fatality rate among various countries; (ii) fatality rate calculation using the full-time equivalent workers; and (iii) comparison of the fatality rate among various countries. The study found that for the fatality rate based on national data, the fatality rate in South Korea (1.72‱) is 10 times higher than that in United Kingdom (0.17‱). However, according to the number of full-time equivalent workers, the fatality rate in South Korea (1.86‱) was three times higher than that in the United Kingdom (0.56‱). These findings reveal a difference in the fatality rate depending on the method used to calculate the number of full-time equivalent workers. Therefore, the number of full-time equivalent workers must be calculated for each country to accurately compare the fatality rate. Ultimately, the study's results highlight the need for clearer standards in the assessment of the fatality rate by country in international organizations such as the ILO.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.1-34
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• 2016

We estimate the effect of an increase in the minimum wage on employment. In Korea, there is no exogenous variation in the minimum wage across regions or industries. One single minimum wage is applied to every worker in the whole country. In this paper, we exploit arguably exogenous variation in the proportion of workers affected by the minimum wage across worker groups defined by age, sex, education, tenure and establishment size. Using the data from the Survey on Labor Conditions by Type of Employment (SLCTE) from 2006 to 2014, we find that a 1% increase in the minimum wage decreases the full-time equivalent employment by about 0.14%. The effect is heterogeneous across workers; we find the effect is more adverse for female workers, low-educated, younger and older workers, workers with a shorter tenure, and workers in small- and medium-sized establishments.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.406-414
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• 2023

Background: This study examined age-group differences in the rate, severity, and cost of injuries among construction workers to support evidence-based worker safety and health interventions in the construction industry. Methods: Ohio workers' compensation claims for construction workers were used to estimate claim rates and costs by age group. We analyzed claims data auto-coded into five event/exposure categories: transportation incidents; slips, trips, and falls (STFs); exposure to harmful substances and environments; contact with objects and equipment (COB); overexertion and bodily reaction. American Community Survey data were used to determine the percentage of workers in each age group. Results: From 2007-2017, among 72,416 accepted injury claims for ~166,000 construction full-time equivalent (FTE) per year, nearly half were caused by COB, followed by STFs (20%) and overexertion (20%). Claim rates related to COB and exposure to harmful substances and environments were highest among those 18-24 years old, with claim rates of 313.5 and 25.9 per 10,000 FTE, respectively. STFs increased with age, with the highest claim rates for those 55-64 years old (94.2 claims per 10,000 FTE). Overexertion claim rates increased and then declined with age, with the highest claim rate for those 35-44 years old (87.3 per 10,000 FTE). While younger workers had higher injury rates, older workers had higher proportions of lost-time claims and higher costs per claim. The total cost per FTE was highest for those 45-54 years old ($1,122 per FTE). Conclusion: The variation in rates of injury types by age suggests that age-specific prevention strategies may be useful.