S. Korea: Delivery worker fatalities surge post-pandemic, with an estimated 70% attributed to overwork
[Unofficial translation provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre]
“Deaths of delivery workers rise fourfold post-pandemic, 7 out of 10 due to overwork” 30 September 2024
On the 30th, Kim Ju-young, a member of the National Assembly's environment and labour committee from the Democratic party, revealed data received from the Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service regarding fatal accidents in the felivery industry since 2017. According to the report, the number of fatal accidents in the delivery sector was eight from 2017 to 2019, but surged to 33 from 2020 to 2022, marking an increase of 4.1 times.
…Among the 41 occupational disease cases reported over the eight years, 39 cases (95%) were due to cerebrovascular disease (12 cases) or heart disease (27 cases), (…) which are generally classified as deaths from overwork.
Kim estimated that “the number of accidents not reflected in the statistics, [due to the nature of contractual work], will likely increase.” He emphasised that (…) “the fact that deaths from overwork outnumber fatal accidents indicates that the intensity of delivery work is high and poses a significant risk to physical health.”