Korean J Occup Health Nurs.  2014 Feb;23(1):39-46.

The Relationship between Long Working Hours and Industrial Accident

• Lee JY
• Choi E
• Lim SH
• Kim HA
• Jung HS

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study analyzed the relationship between working hours and the occurrence of industrial disasters based on manufacturing businesses that are members of Federation of Korean Trade Unions.
METHODS
Repliers were managers of the safety & health department in the union, and 215 surveys out of 300 businesses that agreed to participate in the research were analyzed.
RESULTS
94 out of 300 companies, which counted for 43.7%, replied to have experienced industrial disasters. 56 of those (59.6%) had less than 52 working hours per week, and 38 companies (40.4%) had more than 52 working hours per week. 109 companies, which counted for 50.7%, did not have an incident of industrial disaster. Companies with an average of more than 52 hours of working hours per week were shown to have a 2.29 times (95% CI 1.08~4.87) higher possibility of having industrial disasters than those with less than 52 hours of working hours.
CONCLUSION
As the study showed that industrial disasters were more likely to occur in businesses with working hours longer than 52 hours, ways to reduce working hours need to be developed and various safety measures need to be taken to prevent industrial disasters in case workers are undergoing long working hours.

Keyword

Manufacturing; Industrial accidents; Working hours