Korean J Occup Health Nurs.  2013 Aug;22(3):249-256.

Impact of Subsidies for Labor and Management-directed Health Promotion Activities on Industrial Accidents Prevention

• Yi Y
• Jung HS
• Cho DY
• Lee B

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to compare the rates of industrial accidents in workplaces that adopted the 2011 Workplace Health Promotion Subsidy Scheme before and after the implementation.
METHODS
The study analyzed the raw data of industrial accidents of 304 workplaces which received subsidies for health promotion activities in 2011. The raw data covered the period from February 2010 to July 2012, based on the dates of industrial accidents.
RESULTS
Workplaces subsidized for health promotion activities reported fewer occurrences in staff injuries and illnesses than before the subsidization, as the total number of industrial accident victims dropped from 0.35 to 0.24. The rate of industrial accidents also dropped from 0.49 to 0.35, with the number of working days decreased from 35,433 to 23.867, about 33%.
CONCLUSION
The study showed that financial support for health-promoting activities contributed to the decease in industrial accidents, which is an important indication advocating the need for corporate and government investment on workers health promotion programs. Furthermore, this study is also significant as it is the first research conducted in Korea to examine the impact of a workers health promotion project using a direct indicator, the rate of industrial accidents.

Keyword

Worker; Health promotion; Industrial accidents prevention

MeSH Terms

Accidents, Occupational
Financial Support
Health Promotion
Investments
Korea