Two out of three workers who died from industrial accidents in 2024 were older workers age 55 or older. Under the current Act on Prohibition of Age Discrimination in Employment and Elderly Employment Promotion, older workers are classified as those age 55 or older.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL)'s "2024 industrial accident status analysis" on the 25th, the number of deaths approved for industrial accident compensation by the Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service (K-COMWEL) the year before last was 2,098. Of these, 1,381 were older workers age 55 or older, accounting for 65.8% of the total, while deaths under age 55 numbered 579 (34.2%).
By age group, those 60 and older were the most at 1,107, followed by 55–59 at 274, 50–54 at 248, 45–49 at 160, 40–44 at 153, 35–39 at 69, 30–34 at 39, 25–29 at 32, and 18–24 at 16. There were zero under age 18.
Older workers also accounted for more than half of all industrial accidents excluding fatal cases. Of the 142,771 industrial accidents in 2024, incidents involving workers age 55 or older numbered 74,812, accounting for 52.4% of the total.
Experts say the physical vulnerability of older workers is a factor that increases the risk of industrial accidents. The Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, in a report titled "Characteristics of work-related fatal injuries among older workers in Korea," noted that declines in sensory function, balance, and motor ability can increase the risk of accidents among older workers.
Employment status also heightened the risk of industrial accidents. The report said, "Fatal accidents among older workers are concentrated in construction, elementary occupations, and day labor, and a relatively high share work in industries with higher risk and in precarious forms of employment."