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The court ruled that panic disorder that occurred a year after an accident at work can also be regarded as an industrial accident.

As the recognition of mental damage caused by accidents as industrial accidents is growing, the number of cases recognized as industrial accidents is increasing. 



Reporter Park Chan-geun reported.



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In February 2016, while driving a forklift, employee A of a steel company was hit by an electric furnace that boils molten iron while in the car.



[Mr. A / Victim of crushing accident: (The molten iron) is red. The electric furnace is large and the size of a building is crushed.

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Fortunately, he returned to work after three days with only bruises on his left foot and thigh.



However, in May of the following year, Mr. A, who saw his colleague working near an electric furnace with a forklift, began to feel very anxious and was diagnosed with adjustment disorder and panic disorder at the hospital.



He thought it was the trauma of an accident a year ago and applied for medical care benefits to the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, but the corporation refused the payment, saying it was due to external factors such as personal circumstances.



A filed a lawsuit in court.



The court ruled that it was an industrial accident, saying, "It is highly probable that the plaintiff felt life threatening at the time of the accident, and repeated stress related to forklifts can cause or aggravate the disease."



Post-traumatic stress disorder was first included in the 2013 workers' compensation list.



In the past five years, the number of applications and recognition cases has increased, and last year, 83 out of 90 cases were recognized as industrial accidents.



[Lee Chul-chan / Attorney: Because there is also a perception that it is too natural for trauma symptoms to appear when people recognize a disease that they did not think was a disease and undergo a shocking event…

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However, only 0.06% of the total industrial accident recognition cases.



It is pointed out that there are likely to be many workers who are suffering from mental pain but have not been able to file an industrial accident claim due to lack of information.



(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Park Ki-duk, CG: Park Cheon-woong)