Occupational health checks
Special health examinations are the employer's duty, and the employer pays.
Two kinds of check
- General health examination — for all workers, at intervals that differ between office and other work.
- Special health examination — for those exposed to hazardous agents: noise, dust, organic solvents, heavy metals, night work and more.
The process
- The employer arranges and notifies the provider and the date.
- Complete the questionnaire. State your actual tasks and exposures accurately.
- Undergo the tests (hearing, lung function, blood and urine).
- You receive the results, and the employer must act on them.
- Where findings are abnormal, follow-up applies — repeat testing, job transfer, better protective equipment.
The employer's duties
- Arranging the examination and paying for it
- Holding it during working hours — your pay must not be cut for attending
- Acting on the results — job transfer, reduced hours, protective equipment
- Notifying you of your results
Where to go
- 1588-0075 Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service
- 1350 Ministry of Employment and Labour
- KOSHA www.kosha.or.kr (1544-3088)
- Your company's health and safety officer
Questions people ask
My employer won't arrange the check. That may breach a legal duty. Consult 1350 or KOSHA.
They told me to pay for it. The cost of a special health examination is the employer's as a rule. Check with 1350.
Does only the employer see the results? No. You have the right to your own results. Ask for them.
Can I be dismissed over bad results? Unfair disadvantage based on results can be a problem. Consult 1350 or 1577-0071.
Take care
Describe your actual work accurately on the questionnaire. Understating exposures means the necessary tests get left out. Keep your results notice — it is important evidence if you later claim for an industrial accident.
Related
health-checkup · industrial-accident · orthopedic · chemical-exposure · labor-attorney-help
Source
Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency www.kosha.or.kr / As of 2026-08