Women's industrial accidents largely occur in 'other businesses,' highlighting neglected risks

Despite a government "war on industrial accidents," measures to increase the recognition rate for women's work-related injuries remain insufficient, according to critics. A recent forum evaluating the current administration's gender and equality policies highlighted that existing industrial safety systems are not designed to detect the risks faced by female workers from the outset.

"The work environment and safety standards have always been based on male workers," said Kim Ji-hye, deputy head of the Korea Women Workers Association, at a forum in Seoul. "Current industrial safety and health policies still focus on preventing accidents in construction and manufacturing."

Data shows a stark gender disparity. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of female industrial accident victims increased by 1.5 times, a larger rise than for men. A study found that from 2019 to 2023, 71% of female disease-related accidents and 78% of female accident-related injuries occurred in the "other business" category. In contrast, only 17.4% of male disease-related accidents and 26.8% of male accident-related injuries happened in this broad category.

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The work environment and safety standards have always been based on male workers. Current industrial safety and health policies still focus on preventing accidents in construction and manufacturing.

The "other business" classification lumps together sectors like retail, wholesale, food, accommodation, professional services, and healthcare – industries where women are disproportionately employed. Critics argue this vague classification obscures the specific risks women face. "The risks in female-concentrated jobs like retail, healthcare, social welfare, food, and accommodation are all lumped into one ambiguous category, failing to properly represent women's work," Kim stated.

To address this, experts propose establishing a dedicated gender-sensitive industrial safety policy unit within the Ministry of Employment and Labor. They also call for detailed, gender-disaggregated statistics on accidents, including reasons for denial of claims, recovery periods, and fatalities. Furthermore, they advocate for expanding workers' rights to halt work not only in cases of immediate physical danger but also in situations involving sexual harassment, violence, or mental health risks, with protections against retaliation for exercising these rights.

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The risks in female-concentrated jobs like retail, healthcare, social welfare, food, and accommodation are all lumped into one ambiguous category, failing to properly represent women's work.