A Study of Factors Affecting the Implementation of Workplace Safety and Health Risk Assessment: Focus on Manufacturing and Service Industries

Abstract

Recently, on-site industrial accidents have been occurring at an increasing rate, highlighting the growing importance of risk assessment in preventing such incidents. I used data from the Occupational Safety and Health Survey (2021) to analyze factors affecting risk assessment participation among manufacturing and service industry workplaces. Among workplaces with 20 or more employees with risk factors in 2020, 72.4% conducted risk assessments, with 51.5% on a regular basis and 20.9% irregularly. The proportion of implementation is higher in the manufacturing industry (81.0%) than in the service industry (60.7%). The fewer the employees, the lower the rate of implementation. Among workplaces with 20-49 employees, 32.4% had never conducted a risk assessment. Regression analysis revealed that risk factors such as noise, explosion, and falling increased the implementation of risk assessment, but harmful rays, keeping a sitting posture for a long time, and emotional labor decreased the implementation of risk assessment. While whether or not having in place an in-house group tasked with the safety and health of employees did not contribute to any significant difference, the presence of an Occupational Safety and Health Committee and safety-and-health education and training increased the likelihood of risk assessment implementation. Employers’ interest in safety and health issues had minimal impact, but supervisors' safety and health management capabilities increased risk assessment implementation. Based on the analysis findings, policy implications were presented to strengthen support for small businesses, promote practical measures such as the Occupational Safety and Health Committee, and increase policy interest in identifying hidden risk factors.