The construction sector in South Korea has been identified as the most dangerous among OECD countries: the fatality rate from accidents in the industry is 1.6 cases per 10,000 workers, which is twice the average, writes UNN with reference to Chosun Biz.
Details
According to a report by the Korea Institute of Construction Industry on the 17th, as of 2023, the fatality rate in construction was 1.59 per 10,000 workers.
This means that approximately 1.6 workers out of every 10,000 construction workers die from accidents each year
After South Korea, the highest mortality rates were recorded in the following countries:
- Canada (1.08);
- France (0.97);
- USA (0.96);
- Italy (0.92);
- Spain (0.72);
- Japan (0.68);
- Australia (0.34);
- Germany (0.29);
- United Kingdom (0.24).
The average mortality rate for the top ten countries is 0.78, which is less than half of South Korea's figure.
Across all industries in South Korea, including construction, the mortality rate reaches 0.39 – approximately 1.6 times higher than the average for the best OECD countries (0.24), second only to Canada (0.50).
The report also notes that the construction industry in all countries is one of the most risky: the average mortality rate in construction across 10 countries (0.78) is 3.3 times higher than the rate across all industries (0.24).
Choi Su-yeong, a research fellow at the Korea Institute of Construction Industry, noted:
The construction industry has a high proportion of outdoor work, many elderly workers, and a complex process, which leads to many risk factors
We need to improve individual safety management systems that match the characteristics of the industry and reduce disparities in safety levels through greater investment in safety compared to other industries
Reference
The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) unites 38 countries.
Its members include: Australia, Austria, Belgium, United Kingdom, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Turkey, Hungary, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, South Korea, Japan.