Effect of an occupational health and safety management system based on KOSHA 18001 on industrial accidents

BACKGROUND Many Korean enterprises have been operating an occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) based on Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) 18001 certification standards, which were developed in South Korea. OBJECTIVE This study analyzed health and safety performance among enterprises operating KOSHA 18001. METHODS Accident rates from 2010 to 2017 of 1,541 enterprises that implemented KOSHA 18001 and those that did not (N = 2,507,363) were analyzed by industry and size. The differences in the accident reduction rate before and after KOSHA 18001 implementation were analyzed in enterprises that implemented the system. RESULTS Compared to before implementation, the accident reduction rate was greater after KOSHA 18001 was implemented. The year that an enterprise began operating KOSHA 18001 was defined as T. For industry-specific analysis, the accident reduction rate between T and T + 1 was greater than that between T-2 and T-1 increased among both manufacturing (p = 0.020) and other enterprises (p = 0.011). For size-specific analyses, the accident reduction rate between T and T + 1was greater than that between T-2 and T-1 among enterprises with 299 or fewer workers (p = 0.008) and enterprises with 300 or more workers (p = 0.043). However, the accident rates of enterprises that implemented KOSHA 18001 and those that did not varied by industry and size. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that enterprises that do not utilize an OHSMS should consider doing so to prevent and reduce industrial accidents, and industry- and size-specific features should be considered to boost safety performance through the implementation of OHSMS.