Air pollution sharply raises workplace accident risk, study finds

Air pollution is widely recognized as a public health hazard, but its role in workplace safety is often underestimated. A new study reveals that polluted air can make industrial accidents both more likely and more severe, adding a hidden layer to their human and economic costs.

The research—led by Dr. Ning Zhang of Yonsei University in South Korea, in collaboration with Dr. Zaikun Hou of Shandong University and Dr. Huan Chen of the University of Cambridge—was published in Energy Economics.

Using two decades of accident records from 2000 to 2020, the team matched each incident with local air pollution and weather data. By exploiting thermal inversions—meteorological events that trap pollutants—as an instrumental variable, they established a causal link between fine particulate pollution (PM_2.5) and safety liability accidents.

Their results show that doubling PM_2.5 concentrations is associated with a 2.6-fold increase in accident risk, 37% more fatalities, and 51% more total casualties, with the strongest effects seen in coal mining and construction. These pollution-related accidents are estimated to cost society between USD 4.9 billion and 10.1 billion.

“Our study shows that air pollution can significantly increase the occurrence and severity of safety liability accidents across industries,” said Dr. Zhang. “This finding extends the social cost estimation of air pollution beyond traditional health and productivity losses, revealing a new dimension of its economic burden.”

He added that the results echo a broader trend in research, noting that, “the growing importance of this topic is reflected in recent work—for example, a 2025 Journal of Public Economics article by Victor Lavy and colleagues also finds that air pollution raises workplace accident risks. Together, these studies show that the safety impacts of air pollution are gaining increasing policy attention.”

The study also points to practical steps that companies and governments can take during pollution spikes, such as providing masks and air purifiers, improving ventilation, issuing early safety warnings, rescheduling high-risk work, or temporarily adjusting shifts. The researchers emphasize that greater defensive measures should be implemented during periods of severe air pollution or haze to minimize workplace risks and protect employee health.

Looking ahead, the researchers believe their findings could guide integrated environmental and occupational safety policies.

“Over the next five to ten years, our findings could inform policies linking environmental regulation with workplace safety standards—encouraging industries to include air-quality indicators in their risk management and insurance systems,” Dr. Zhang noted. “For ordinary people, such changes would mean safer workplaces, cleaner air, and more resilient communities.”

While acknowledging potential limitations—such as underreported accidents and the focus on short-term exposure—the authors emphasize that their causal evidence, drawn from two decades of data, underscores an urgent need to address air pollution as a workplace safety issue, not just a health problem.