In the Republic of Korea (Korea), around 80,000
workers are injured in occupational accidents each
year. About 40 per cent of those accidents occur in
the manufacturing industry, and 70 per cent of the
accidents happen in small-sized workplaces with less
than 50 employees. There is a general perception that
the working conditions in these smaller workplaces are
“dangerous, dirty and difficult”, known as the “3Ds”.
The accidents typically occur because employers lack the
financial capacity for investment into OSH facilities or
the technical expertise to manage OSH conditions and/or
because both employers and employees lack OSH awareness.