Agricultural Industrial Accident Deaths More Severe Than Industrial Sites... Insurance Enrollment Rates Lag Behind Employment and Industrial Accident Insurance

Agricultural Machinery Accident in Remote Area Hinders Initial Response
Maeng Seong-gyu "Policy Efforts Needed at Ministry of Agriculture and Food"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Amid growing social concern over occupational accident deaths, it has been revealed that the agricultural sector has a higher fatality rate than other industries. The subscription rate for safety insurance, a protective measure for farmers, was lower than the subscription rates for similar social insurances in other industries.

According to data received from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs by Democratic Party lawmaker Maeng Seong-gyu of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee on the 5th, the fatality rate in the agricultural sector last year was 1.27, higher than the overall average of 1.09. The fatality rate refers to the ratio of workers who died from occupational accidents per 10,000 workers and is an indicator used to assess the level of occupational accident fatalities.

The fatality rate among farmers sharply increased starting in 2018. In 2016, it was 0.49, and in 2017, it was 0.79, both lower than the overall industry averages of 0.96 and 1.05, respectively. The agricultural fatality rate surged to 1.68 in 2018, then recorded 1.13 in 2019 and 1.27 last year, rarely falling below 1. During the same period, the overall industry fatality rate remained at similar levels: 1.12 in 2018, 1.08 in 2019, and 1.09 last year.

On the other hand, the safety net related to occupational accidents for farmers is weakening. The number of farmers enrolled in safety insurance was 870,000 last year, only 65% of the 1.34 million eligible. This is significantly lower than the employment insurance subscription rate of 90.3% and the industrial accident insurance subscription rate of 97.8% among all workers.

What is more serious is that the number of comprehensive insurance subscribers for agricultural machinery is also low. Among 544,000 tillers eligible for comprehensive insurance last year, only 6,950 were insured. The subscription rate was just 1.3%.

In rural areas, where human presence is sparse, accidents occur and initial response is difficult. According to the National Police Agency, from 2015 to 2019, there were 1,017 agricultural machinery traffic accidents annually, resulting in an average of 126 deaths and 1,210 injuries per year. Forty-five percent of farmers' safety accidents are tiller-related. An official from the Rural Development Administration explained, "Agricultural machinery is slower than regular vehicles and often lacks brakes, leading to frequent rear-end collisions with following vehicles. Above all, many accidents occur in remote locations, delaying rescue reports and increasing the risk of death."

Lawmaker Maeng said, "There has been a tendency to limit occupational accidents to fields such as construction, machinery, and ports. Since farmers cannot work apart from agricultural machinery, efforts to protect their safety are necessary." He added, "The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs should make policy efforts to increase subscriptions to safety and comprehensive insurance."