안전관리자 및 보건관리자 채용과 산업재해 예방 간의 관계 분석

The long-term decline in industrial accidents in South Korea has recently reversed due to expanded recognition criteria and increased approval rates. In response, policy discussions continue over increasing the employment of dedicated safety and health managers to enhance workplace safety. This study empirically examines their impact using data from the Industrial Safety and Health Survey. The results show that in manufacturing and services, appointing at least one safety manager reduces serious accidents, with additional hires offering diminishing returns. Health managers help prevent minor accidents but show no added effect with further appointments. In construction, higher occupational safety and health (OSH) expenditures are more effective in reducing accidents than increasing manager numbers. These results suggest that simply increasing the number of dedicated managers is insufficient. Instead, effective policies should target industryspecific risks and adopt a fault-based, differentiated regulatory framework that adjusts oversight based on accident history and demonstrated safety efforts.