The "fourth industrial revolution" (FIR) is an age of advanced technology based on information and communication. FIR has a more powerful impact on the economy than in the past. However, the prospects for the labor environment are uncertain. The purpose of this study is to anticipate and prepare for occupational health and safety (OHS) issues. In FIR, nonstandard employment will be common. As a result, it is difficult to receive OHS services and compensation. Excessive trust in new technologies can lead to large-scale or new forms of accidents. Global business networks will cause destruction of workers' biorhythms, some cancers, overwork, and task complexity. The social disconnection because of an independent work will be a risk for worker's mental health. The union bonds will weaken, and it will be difficult to apply standardized OHS regulations to multinational enterprises. To cope with the new OHS issues, we need to establish new concepts of "decent work" and standardize regulations, which apply to enterprises in each country, develop public health as an OHS service, monitor emerging OHS events and networks among independent workers, and nurture experts who are responsible for new OHS issues.

Ju K, et al. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2024 Apr;36(1):e9. https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2024.36.e9

Objectives This study compared differences in age‐standardized suicide mortality rates, personal characteristics (demographics, employment conditions, and details of suicide), and work‐related stress by gender and occupation among workers who had committed suicide in Korea. Methods Data comprised 413 suicide death claims lodged with the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) from 2010 to 2018, which were coded. We calculated age‐standardized suicide mortality rates by gender and occupation. The chi‐square test, Fisher's exact test, and t‐test were conducted to examine gender differences. Frequency and percentage distribution by gender and occupation were calculated using descriptive statistics. Results Regardless of gender, age‐standardized suicide mortality rate was highest among “Managers.” Women who died by suicide were significantly younger and more likely to be unmarried, live alone, and have fewer years of continuous employment than men. “Managers,” “Professionals and Related Workers,” and “Clerks” experienced similar work‐related stresses, including “Difficult work to achieve,” “Fail to achieve allocation workload,” and “Change of job contents or workload.” “Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers,” “Craft and Related Trades Workers,” and “Equipment, Machine Operating and Assembling Workers” had higher work‐related stress related to “Severe disease/injury” or “Causing a serious accident” compared with other workers. Conclusions Work‐related stress related to suicide deaths differed by gender and occupation. The gender gap of labor market participation in Korea may affect gender differences in terms of demographics and employment conditions among workers who died by suicide. Our study suggests that gender‐ and occupation‐specific strategies and policies to reduce work‐related stress can prevent suicide among workers.

Min J, et al. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2020 Jan;32:e7. https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2020.32.e7

Woo SH, et al. Ann Occup Environ Med. 2024 Mar;36(1):e5. https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2024.36.e5

Suicide is a major public health concern in South Korea, and self-poisoning by pesticides is one of the common methods of suicide. Pesticide ban policies have been successful for suicide prevention; however, no studies have shown their effect according to occupational groups. The present study analyzed suicide and suicide by pesticide rates among South Korean workers aged 15–64 in 2003–2017, their associations with occupational groups, and the impact of three major economic indices on these factors. Workers in the agriculture, forestry, and fishery industries had relative risks of 5.62 (95% CI: 5.54–5.69) for suicide overall and 25.49 (95% CI: 24.46–26.57) for suicide by pesticide. The real gross domestic product had a positive association with suicide overall only in the last five-year period investigated in this study, and the unemployment rate consistently had a positive association. The economic status and policy for suicide prevention affected suicide and suicide by pesticide rates differently among occupational groups and different time periods. Policy addressing suicidal risk for different occupational groups should be of concern in South Korea.