In order to protect worker safety and health, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor) stipulated the National Occupational Accident Reduction Strategy in 2017. Using the average occupational accident rate per works thousand of 3.199 for the past three years (2014-2016) as a basis, the government took up the challenge of reducing this rate by 10% each year from 2018 to 2020, for a goal of a 30% reduction in three years. For 2018, actual performance exceeded this target and the rate fell to a historical low of 2.612 for a reduction of 18.3%. In real numbers and based on the average number of people insured under labor insurance from 2014 to 2016, this is equivalent to a reduction of 5,901 persons involved in occupational accidents.

OSHA stated that over the years, although the rate of occupational accidents per thousand workers has seen a steady decline with the efforts of central and local governments and those in various fields, in order to implement the President's policy of continuing to strengthen labor safety, the administration stipulated in 2017 the National Occupational Accident Reduction Strategy to further improve operations. It called for the hierarchical management of risk; using a variety of tools to supervise inspection, counseling, advocacy and safety partners and inter-departmental cooperation; and integrating government-related resources to promote accident prevention. In addition to reducing the occupational accident rate per thousand workers, the Strategy promoted protections for workers’ mental and physical health and mechanisms to manage chemical risk and mechanical safety and increased the availability of occupational health services to 30.1%, control rate of chemical exposure to 27%, ratio of mechanical equipment with completed customs clearance documents to 54%, implementing measures to protect worker safety and health.

OSHA emphasized that life is invaluable and, in order to further reduce accidents from happening, it will continue to strengthen various inspection, advocacy and counseling measures to demonstrate the government’s determination to enforce worker safety with concrete action. In addition, in the matter of supervision of labor conditions, the administration will continue to strengthen labor conditions through the core strategies of grade management and legal compliance to provide every worker with safe, healthy and dignified working environments.

*Keywords: Occupational Accidents, Occupational Accident Rate Per Thousand Workers, National Occupational Accident Reduction Strategy