Job death rate worst in OECD

Almost seven people a day died in industrial accidents at Korean workplaces last year, according to the Ministry of Labor. There were 2,454 deaths in total.
The death toll has been hovering around this figure for more than ten years.
Moreover, around 10,000 people were injured at workplaces or by work-related causes in 2006, a 36 percent increase compared to 2005. Although the numbers of industry related deaths has been holding steady, injury cases have skyrocketed. Experts say this is because more people are claiming for insurance than in the past. “People didn’t know about social security as much as they do now,” said Kim Shin-won, a human resource consultant.
Korea currently has the highest work-related death rate among OECD member nations.
In Korea there were 1.14 deaths per 10,000 workers last year. The methodology used to calculate death rates differs from country to country, but for the United Kingdom, the death rate is only 0.64. Japan, Germany and the U.S. have rates of 0.25, 0.47 and 0.4 respectively, as of 2003. The International Labor Organization ranks Korea lower than Romania, Bulgaria or Kazakhstan with regard to the level of accident prevention in the workplace.
“Of course human lives are important,” said Klaus Stark, the head of product management at Pilz, a Germany-based safety product and service provider.
“Appealing to the conscience of the management at factories to have better measures to protect the workers has limits. Companies should understand that having a safer environment lowers their costs.” Stark said some Korean industries still lack the mindset for better safety. “It is improving, but stricter regulations should be implemented when it comes to safety.”

By Hwang Young-jin Staff Writer [yhwang@joongang.co.kr]