13% Decrease in Industrial Accident Deaths in Q1..."Impact of Manufacturing Downturn"

A construction site of an apartment in Gyeonggi-do./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

In the first quarter of this year, 128 people died from industrial accidents, showing a decrease of about 13% compared to the same period last year. The government explained that the recent downturn in the manufacturing industry is the main reason for the reduction in accidents.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced additional statistics on the status of industrial accidents as of the end of March this year on the 15th.

According to the survey results, the number of deaths from accidents subject to investigation in the first quarter was 128, a decrease of 19 people (12.9%) compared to 147 in the same period last year. The number of accidents also decreased by 9 cases (6.8%), from 133 to 124 during the same period.

By industry, the number of deaths in the construction industry was 65 (63 cases), down by 6 people (1 case) from the previous year, and the manufacturing industry recorded 31 deaths (30 cases), a significant decrease of 20 people (16 cases). Deaths in other industries increased by 7 people (8 cases) to 32 (31 cases).

In the construction industry, the number of accidents increased while the number of deaths decreased, whereas in the manufacturing industry, both the number of deaths and accidents decreased.

By business size, the number of deaths at workplaces with fewer than 50 employees was 79 (76 cases), the same as 79 (77 cases) in the same period last year. Workplaces with 50 or more employees recorded 49 deaths (48 cases), a decrease of 19 people (8 cases).

By type of accident, 'falling' was the most common cause of death with 47 cases, followed by 'struck by object' with 18, 'collision' with 16, 'caught in' with 16, and 'crushed or overturned' with 11 cases.

While deaths from 'falling' and 'collision' decreased compared to the same period last year, deaths from 'struck by object,' 'caught in,' and 'crushed or overturned' increased.

(Data provided by the Ministry of Employment and Labor)

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "The reduction in large-scale accidents involving two or more deaths and the overall economic conditions in industries such as manufacturing appear to be the main factors contributing to the decrease in accidents."

In fact, the number of deaths from large-scale accidents (two or more deaths) in the first quarter was 7 (3 cases), down 14 people (4 cases) from 21 (7 cases) in the first quarter of last year. Additionally, the average operating rate of the manufacturing industry in the first quarter of this year decreased by 10.3% compared to one year ago. The production index and employment also declined by 9.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

By region, the number of deaths was highest in Gyeonggi (37), Busan (12), Gyeongbuk (12), Chungnam (11), Jeonnam (9), Jeonbuk (8), Seoul (7), and Incheon (7).

The Ministry emphasized, "To continue the steady reduction of accidents, it is important to establish a self-regulatory prevention system through the thorough implementation of the serious accident reduction roadmap," adding that "consulting on safety and health management systems, employer education, private technical guidance, and specialized inspections for risk assessment will be carried out earnestly."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.