Associations of demographic and injury-related factors with return to work among job-injured workers with disabilities in South Korea.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the associations between the type of return-to-work and demographic and injury-related characteristics among South Korean workers with permanent disabilities due to occupational injury. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SUBJECTS A total of 13,078 injured workers aged 20-55 years who were legally registered in 2005 as having permanent disabilities due to occupational injuries. METHODS Workers' compensation databases were used to identify the retrospective cohort and to abstract demographic and injury-related variables. Return-to-work information was obtained from an unemployment insurance database and by telephone interview. Multinomial multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to test the association between the type of return-to-work (pre-injury job, self-employment, employment at a new firm) and independent variables. RESULTS Those subjects most likely to return to pre-injury jobs were male, aged 30-39 years, college educated with minor disabilities, and treated medically for one year or less. Findings were similar for those with a different employer after injury. However, the probability of self-employment was higher, particularly for males with moderate disabilities, but relatively lower among those under the age of 30 years. CONCLUSION Special attention needs to be directed to demographic and injury-related characteristics when designing return-to-work programmes for injured workers with disabilities in South Korea.