Unions, Health and Safety Committees, and Workplace Accidents in the Korean Manufacturing Sector

The impact of corporate culture on industrial accidents in high-risk industries: a cross-sectional survey

The rate of industrial accidents in Korea is two to three times higher than those in advanced countries such as Germany. These accidents are mainly concentrated in high-risk industrial areas. Using the ninth wave of the Occupational Safety and Health Company Survey by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (OSHRI), we analyzed the influence of corporate culture on the occurrence of occupational accidents in high-risk industries using negative binomial regression. We found that older workers and foreign workers had a positive effect on the accident rate, while female workers had a negative effect on the accident rate. In addition, it was found that the health and safety management organization also reduced occupational accidents. Corporate culture and workplace environment significantly reduced industrial accidents among workers. This suggests that internal elements of an organization such as corporate culture and working environment can have an impact in reducing the occurrence of industrial accidents.

Emergence of joint health and safety committees in Algerian companies: an exploratory study

Purpose

The objective of this article is to carry out an exploratory study on the emergence of health and safety committees (HSC) in Algerian companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology chosen, governed by the systemic approach, is centered on the exploration of HSC emergence factors in companies.

Findings

The suggested method consists in defining hypotheses found in the literature on the emergence of HSC in order to affirm or refute them in the case of Algerian companies.

Research limitations/implications

Despite the fact that a good number of Algerian industrial companies were solicited; the number of respondents was limited. This limitation confirms the difficulty commonly encountered in exploratory studies by questionnaire.

Practical implications

The results of this exploratory study serve as a basis for the elaboration of a national action plan dedicated to HSC emergence in Algerian companies.

Originality/value

This is the first study conducted in Algerian companies on HSC emergence. The identification of emergence problems allows drawing up an effective action plan to solve them.

The Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Wages Among Registered Nurses in Long-term Care

OBJECTIVE

This study seeks to measure wage differences between registered nurses (RNs) working in long-term care (LTC) (eg, nursing homes, home health) and non-LTC settings (eg, hospitals, ambulatory care) and whether differences are associated with the characteristics of the RN workforce between and within settings.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional design. This study used the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses (NSSRN) public-use file to examine RN employment and earnings.

METHODS

Our study population included a sample of 15,373 RNs who were employed at least 1000 hours in nursing in the past year and active in patient care. Characteristics such as race/ethnicity, type of RN degree completed, census region, and union status were included. Multiple regression analyses examined the effect of these characteristics on wages. Logistic regression was used to predict RN employment in LTC settings.

RESULTS

RNs in LTC experienced lower wages compared with those in non-LTC settings, yet this difference was not associated with racial/ethnic or international educational differences. Among RNs working in LTC, lower wages were associated with part-time work, less experience, lack of union representation, and regional wage differences.

CONCLUSION

Because RNs in LTC earn lower wages than RNs in other settings, policies to minimize pay inequities are needed to support the RN workforce caring for frail older adults.

Unionisation and injury risk in construction: a replication study

Objective

To replicate, in a more recent time period, a previous cross-sectional study to estimate the association between unionisation and the risk of workers’ compensation injury claims.

Methods

The sampling frame was workers’ compensation company account records in the industrial, commercial and institutional construction sector in the province of Ontario, Canada, 2012–2018. Company unionisation status was determined through linkage with records of unionised contractors. Outcomes were cumulative counts of workers’ compensation injury claims, aggregated to company business. Risk ratios were estimated with multivariable negative binomial regression models. Models were also fit separately to lost-time claims stratified by company size.

Results

Business unionisation was associated with a lower lost-time claim incidence (crude risk ratio, CRR=0.69, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.74); adjusted risk ratio, ARR=0.75, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.80). In subgroup analyses, the magnitude of the ARR declined as company size decreased and was not statistically significant for the smallest-sized companies of ≤4 full-time equivalent employees. Unionisation was associated (positively) with the incidence of no-lost-time claims in a crude model, but not in an adjusted one (CRR=1.80, 95% CI 1.71 to 1.89; ARR=1.04, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.09).

Conclusions

Company unionisation was associated with a lower risk of lost-time workers’ compensation injury claims, corroborating a similar study from an earlier time period. The protective effect of unionisation declined as company size decreased. In contrast to the previous study, a positive relationship between company unionisation and no-lost-time claim incidence was not found, due in part to a methodological refinement.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Workplace Accidents in Korea

(1) Background: Although the number of people infected with COVID-19 has increased over time, its effects on workplace accidents are still poorly understood. On the one hand, COVID-19 can reduce workplace accidents through contracted economic activities or changes in work methods. On the other hand, it can increase workplace accidents by spreading in the workplace. The main purpose of this paper is to examine how COVID-19 affected workplace accidents in Korea during the early part of the pandemic. (2) Methods: This paper utilizes the administrative data on workplace accidents in Korea collected by Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. In particular, we use monthly data from February 2016 to August 2020. This period was chosen to rule out the effect from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in 2015 and to include COVID-19 effects in 2020, given the available data. To examine the impact of COVID-19 on workplace injury and illness, we estimate fixed effects regression models, allowing us to control for group and time effects. (3) Results: COVID-19 was generally found to reduce workplace accidents in Korea, particularly through a reduction in occupational diseases. However, we also found that COVID-19 increased occupational injuries for males and workers in the transportation industry. We provide some evidence that these workers experienced an increase in workload and were unable to change work methods including working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. (4) Conclusions: Our results indicate that to reduce workplace accidents, government interventions should be directed at workers who are unable to change work methods and who are likely to suffer an increase in work burden due to COVID-19.

Association Study Between Genetic Variation in Whole Mitochondrial Genome and Ischemic Stroke

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) affects the mitochondrial function, which is potentially related to susceptibility to ischemic stroke (IS). However, study on IS genetics by whole mitochondrial genome sequencing has not been extensively explored. Therefore, a two-stage study was designed to explore the relationship between the whole mitochondrial genome variants and IS. In the first stage, whole mitochondrial genomes of 52 IS patients and 55 controls were sequenced by next-generation sequencing. Fifty-three mtDNA mutation sites which may be related to the pathogenesis of IS were discovered. Nine unreported mtDNA variation sites were found for the first time. In the second larger Chinese cohort, we confirmed that m.T195C and m.T12338C in the mitochondrial D-loop region were the protective factors of IS, especially m.T195C and m.C311T in the LAA subtype. In conclusion, our study provided population genetic information and a reference for IS-relevant research, with wide applications in diagnosis, therapeutic treatments and prediction of IS.

Worker safety perception analysis of South Korean construction sites

Purpose. The aim of this article was to measure the safety perception level of workers on a South Korean construction site and investigate safety problems using the Nordic occupational safety climate questionnaire (NOSACQ-50). Methods. The survey was carried out via the NOSACQ-50 with 175 workers from five South Korean construction companies to evaluate their perception level. The results were then compared with the NOSACQ-50 criteria. Results. The safety perception of this South Korean construction site is high when compared with the NOSACQ-50 criteria. This high level was especially pronounced for the seventh dimension of the efficacy of the safety system, which showed the highest level among all dimensions. In addition, we suggested improvements and interventions to sustain a safety climate amongst workgroups. Conclusions. This study confirms that the seventh dimension showed the highest safety perception amongst all dimensions in South Korea. In the future, these findings can be utilized to develop an evaluation tool for the safety climate of the construction industry in South Korea.

Safety Climate and Occupational Stress According to Occupational Accidents Experience and Employment Type in Shipbuilding Industry of Korea

Background

Safety climate and occupational stress are related with occupational accident. The present study tried to identify the differences in safety climate and occupational stress according to occupational accidents experience and employment type (e.g., direct workers and subcontract workers).

Methods

In this study, we conducted a survey using safety climate scale and Korean Occupational Stress Scale and classified the participants into four groups: direct workers working for accident-free departments, direct workers working for accident departments, subcontract workers working for accident-free departments, and subcontract workers working for accident departments for 2 years within the same workplace in the shipbuilding industry.

Results

The direct workers and subcontract workers showed diverse results in subscales of safety climate and occupational stress. This result is supported by existing studies; however, further study is necessary for more supporting evidence and elaborative methodological approach.

Conclusion

The necessity of management for safety climate and psychosocial factor such as occupational stress for both direct workers and subcontract workers as a whole is suggested by this study.

Safety and Health Perceptions in Work-related Transport Activities in Ghanaian Industries

Background

With the recent rapid industrialization, occupational safety and health (OSH) has become an important issue in all industrial and human activities. However, incidents of injuries and fatality rates in the Ghanaian industry sector continue to increase. Despite this increase, there is no evidence regarding the element of OSH management in transport activities in Ghanaian industries. Thus, this study aims to examine the perceptions regarding the importance of safety and health in work-related transport activities in Ghanaian industries.

Methods

A survey data collection technique was used to gather information on best safety practices over a 5-month period. We randomly selected 298 respondents from industries to answer structured questionnaires. The respondents included drivers, transport managers, and safety engineers. Standard multiple regression model and Pearson product–movement correlation were used to performed the analysis.

Results

The result shows that for interventions to improve safety and health, concentration has been on drivers’ safety practice with less attention to safe driving environments and vehicle usage. Additionally, the respondents are aware of the importance of OSH in transport activities, but the level of integration does not measure up to the standard to reduce operational accidents and injuries. Finally, strong commitment to changing unsafe practices at all levels of operations appears to be the effective way to improve safety situations.

Conclusion

OSH culture is not fully complied in industries transport activities. This study, therefore, supports the use of safety seminars and training sessions for industry workers responsible for transport operations for better integration of safety standards.