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Occupational Morbidity and Fatal Injuries in Thailand, 2007-2024: A Nationwide Time-trend Study Using Workers'
Pirawan Wangupadcha1, Wor Mi Thi2, Thodsaphon Lunnoo3
1Office of Disease Prevention and Control, Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Background:
Occupational injuries and work-related diseases remain a significant and persistent threat to the safety, health, and well-being of workers around the globe. This nationwide study aimed to examine long-term trends in occupational injuries and work-related diseases in Thailand from 2007 to 2024.
Methods:
Administrative data from the Thailand Social Security Office were used to assess trends and to identify factors associated with fatal outcomes among reported occupational injury cases in 2024. Annual injury rates were calculated using decided cases as the numerator and the average number of registered employees as the denominator. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated.
Results:
A total of 2,006,840 occupational injury cases were recorded. While the number of registered employees increased over time, overall injury rates declined from 24.57 to 7.29 per 1,000 workers and severe injury rates from 6.75 to 2.13 per 1,000 workers. However, fatal injury rates declined markedly but less consistently during the study period, from 9.61 to 4.94 per 100,000 workers. Musculoskeletal disorders remained the most frequently reported work-related disease. In 2024, older age (≥55 years; RR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.56-2.62), construction-site injury (RR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.64-2.42), vehicle-related injury (RR = 28.70, 95% CI: 24.55-33.55), and employment in establishments with ≤1,000 workers (RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.35-2.27) were associated with higher risk of fatal outcomes.
Conclusion:
While overall occupational injury rates declined substantially over time, fatal injury rates showed a less consistent decline, indicating the need for continued efforts to prevent severe occupational injuries and fatalities.