“Workers’ Health Centers of KOSHA helps workers get out of PTSD”

14 workers in a factory returned to work after receiving psychological counseling

August 22, 2014

A company overcame its difficulty by the help of KOSHA. As workers at the company had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after witnessing an occupational accident, the company asked 'Workers' Health Center' run by KOSHA for help.

In June, a worker lost his wrist by a cut accident occurred in the middle of automatic can packing operation in Gyeonggi-do. After the accident, 14 other colleagues suffered depression and anxiety as they had experienced the accident directly and indirectly.

On the day after the accident broke out, the company gave all workers paid leave and asked 'Workers' Health Center' nearby for help.

The Workers' Health Center formed a task force team composed of occupational and environmental medicine doctor, nurse, psychological counsellor and industrial hygiene engineer. The task force team then visited the company and provided professional counseling for 2 times.

The team categorized the 14 colleagues into risk groups using PTSD checklist and then provided one-on-one counseling and emotion control training.

In line with this, the occupational and environmental medicine doctor had a look around the incident site and proposed measures to prevent occupational accidents such as safety facility installation and warning sign attachment, etc.

The 14 workers of the company got back to work and the injured will be provided psychological as well as medical support for the sake of returning to work without any trouble after hospital care.

Like this, when occupational accidents occur or workers have illness or disease, professional health service is available from KOSHA's Workers' Health Centers located in 15 areas nationwide.

For the purpose of providing free professional health service to workers at small-sized workplace who are vulnerable to health management due to time and economic constraint, Workers' Health Centers have been established and run since 2011.

Total 15 areas: Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, Bucheon, Suwon, Seongnam, Siheung, Cheonan, Changwon, Gumi, Yeosu

The centers have doctors, nurses, occupational and environmental experts, and professional counsellors, offering various services including counselling for job stress and work environment; follow-up management after medical checkups; business compatibility assessment; prevention of musculoskeletal or cardiovascular diseases.

Last year, about 33,000 workers visited Workers' Health Centers; there were about 180,000 cases of counselling. Five more Workers' Health Centers are planned to be newly established next year to help more workers.