Occupational injuries among non-standard workers in the Taiwan construction industry

Introduction: Global changes in the labor force have led to an increase in non-standard employment (NSE) workers, particularly apparent in the construction industry. These workers have a higher risk of occupa-tional injury and negative health-related outcomes. Method: In this study, relevant literature and the database for construction accidents are examined to identify the classification of NSE in the Taiwan con-struction industry. Accident reports from 2000 to 2018 are extracted from case reports of the Northern Occupational Safety and Health Center of Taiwan. Pearson's chi-squared test are then employed to ana-lyze a total of 1,612 occupational fatality cases in the construction industry to explore the differences in occupational injuries between NSE and standard employment (SE). Further, characteristics of occupa-tional injuries for different types of NSE in the construction industry are analyzed. Results: The NSE occu-pational injury rate for older workers over 60 years old is higher, especially for self-employed workers taking on technical work. NSE workers are more expected to suffer occupational fatalities in the small-scale, non-public, and repair projects. Occupational injuries involving self-employed and temporary agency workers are clearly regionally concentrated. Temporary agency workers involved in occupational injuries are most engaged in non-technical work and movement for worker motion with their unfamil-iarity with the worksite. Most enterprises did not perform safety management on construction sites for occupational injuries involving NSE workers, especially for self-employed workers. Conclusions: The results show that the hazard characteristics of NSE workers are clearly different from SE workers. NSE workers face inferior job security and protection, especially for self-employed workers. Practical Applications: The results can be used to establish effective occupational safety management policies and programs more efficiently.(c) 2022 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.