Doo Yong Park

Professor (Industrial Hygiene), Hansung University

Current Position:

Professor (Industrial Hygiene), Hansung University

Education:

  • 1996 Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) Department of Environmental and Industrial Health, School of Public Health, The University of Michigan
  • 1988 Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) from the Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, The Seoul National University
  • 1986 College of Agriculture, The Seoul National University (BS)

Professional Experience:

  • 1997-present: Professor, Hansung University
  • 2018-2021 : President of KOSHA
  • 2006-2008 Director General, Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (KOSHA)

Special Honor:

  • 2017 ANOH Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2021 IOHA Lifetime Achievement Award

演講主題:

Review of the number of deaths by occupational accidents and diseases from 2001-2021 and impact of new law called Punishment Law for the serious injury and illness in South Korea

It is a reasonable assumption that there is a certain relationship between the OSH policy and occupational fatality. To investigate this assumption, the number of workers accidental fatal cases by year was re-analyzed since the official occupational fatality data are generated only for those whose compensation processes are completed. It takes as little as several weeks and as long as several years from the time of accident or death. Therefore, the compensation data may not be appropriate to reflect the fatality occurred by year. In this study, the number of deaths were re-counted for only the cases occurred for the year. It was found that most decrease of the accidental fatal cases was achieved during the progressive regimes from 2003 to 2021. The decrease of fatal cases during the conservative regimes was insignificant. On the contrary, the number of deaths by the occupational disease was shown high during the progressive regimes. It implies that the coverage of workers and diseases for compensation was expanded during the progressive regimes.

Patrol Inspection Program (PIP), an unannounced inspection program which is one of the successful examples of OSH policy and enforcement strategy during 2019-2021 to prevent the typical fatal accidents such as fall from height in construction sites will be presented. Due to the COVID-19 wave, it was possible to prove the effects of the Patrol Inspection Program. 

Also, the impact to occupational health by the new law, “Punishment Law for the Serious Injury and Illness” which is in force from 27 January 2022 will be introduced. Two cases of trichloromethane poisonings being investigated under the Punishment law will be introduced. These cases revealed loopholes of the current OSH institutional systems including MSDS, workplace monitoring and workers medical checkup program. It implies that it may be necessary to build a new workplace environmental monitoring or safe-proof system.