Workplace Risk Exposure and Occupational Health Conditions: The Moderating Effects of Social and Institutional Capital

Despite its economic affluence, South Korea is still struggling with a high rate of occupational injuries and accidents. Ensuring workplace health and safety, for young employees in particular, is important because the country is facing a dwindling working population and young people willing to voice their concerns. However, this situation also poses economic and ethical challenges to businesses as more young people find jobs in precarious conditions. While much attention has been paid to the role of policy and regulatory measures, little research has explored the role of managerial approaches. This paper focuses on the ways in which social and institutional capital can mitigate the detrimental effects of workplace risk exposure on young workers’ occupational health outcomes. Using a sample of 4,333 waged workers aged 15-29 drawn from the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey and zero-inflated Poisson models, the analysis shows that workers with a high level of exposure to workplace risk factors are more likely than others to experience severe work-related health symptoms. But that negative effect is moderated by the organizational social capital available to young employees and by the extent to which they can leverage institutional capital, albeit to a lesser degree. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.