Title Accident Characteristics of Aged Construction Workers
Authors Lee Jeong-Cheol ; Lee Chan-Sik
Page pp.201-208
ISSN 12269107
Keywords Construction industry ; Aged Construction Workers ; Accident Rate ; Fatal Accident
Abstract The construction industry has been playing an important role in domestic economy growth over the past half a century, but a significant number of accidents have occurred in the industry. The Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service(COMWEL) reported that compensation expense for construction accidents occupied about 30 percent of its compensation budget. This is a serious figure considering that the number of construction workers account for only 8 percent of entire workforce. Workers over fifty years old are increasing in the construction field every year. Those aged workers are the most vulnerable for construction accidents. Physical and psychological changes by aging would contribute to high accident rate. This paper analyzed accident types and characteristics for aged workers older than 50. According to the analysis of 252 fatal accident cases of the aged construction workers, injury occurred much more frequently at reinforced concrete works and finishing works, for form carpenter and common laborer, and in small construction projects, respectively. Moreover, it was analyzed that fall accidents on a temporary structure were the primary cause of raising the accident rate of aged construction workers.