Table 4.

WMSD prevention policies in Korea and Japan

	Korea	Japan
Evaluation of risk factors	Health and Safety act requires the employer to evaluate risk factors for WMSD	No obligation
High-risk jobs	Eleven kinds of jobs at high risk for WMSD as specified by MOEL	No list
WMSD prevention program	Employer should put into place a WMSD prevention program according to the enforcement regulations when there is a high risk for WMSD	Established regulations for prevention of low back pain, OCD, and vibration disorders
Medical examination	Does not exist	Recommended
Penalty	Violation penalty	Does not exist
Other	Employer obliged to improve the workplace and make workers aware of the risk	Counseling service at the regional occupational health center for WMSD prevention

WMSD: work-related musculoskeletal disorder, OCD: occupational cervicobrachial disease, MOEL: Ministry of Employment and Labor.