대법원 91누476 — Revocation of Disapproval of Medical Care Benefits (요양불승인처분취소)

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

The term “occupational accident” under Article 3(1) of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (산업재해보상보험법) refers to an injury, disease, physical disability, or death of a worker that occurs due to the worker's business while performing his or her duties; therefore, there must be a causal relationship between the work and the occurrence of the accident. However, even if the accident is a pre-existing disease not directly related to the work, if work-related overexertion is superimposed on the principal cause of the disease and thereby induces or aggravates the disease, such causal relationship must be recognized. Furthermore, a disease caused by overexertion includes cases where an underlying or pre-existing disease, which would otherwise allow normal work performance, rapidly worsens due to excessive workload. Accordingly, where a worker who had symptoms of hypertension, after changing jobs, performed the work of drying steel wire materials under poor working conditions—without ventilation facilities, with irregular rest and meal times, working two-shift schedules that alternated between day and night, and additionally working overnight twice a month and on Sundays twice a month—and as a result performed physically and mentally excessive duties that aggravated his symptoms and led to the onset of ischemic stroke, this constitutes an occupational accident.

[Reasoning]

The grounds of appeal are examined.

"Occupational accident" as referred to in Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (산업재해보상보험법) means an injury, disease, physical disability, or death of a worker that occurs due to the worker's business duties during the performance of such duties, and therefore there must be a causal relationship between the business duties and the occurrence of the accident. However, even if the accident is a pre-existing disease not directly related to the business duties, if excessive work-related fatigue is superimposed upon the primary cause of the disease and thereby induces or aggravates the disease, such causal relationship must be deemed to exist. Furthermore, disease caused by overwork includes cases where an underlying disease or pre-existing disease, which would normally allow for normal work performance, rapidly worsens due to excessive workload (see this Court's Decisions 89Nu2318 rendered on November 14, 1989; 89Nu6990 rendered on February 13, 1990; and 90Nu3690 rendered on November 13, 1990, respectively).

The court below found, based on the evidence presented, the following facts: the Plaintiff joined the non-party Yungchang Metal Co., Ltd. on September 25, 1989, and worked in the pickling department; while on the commuter bus at around 19:00 on December 27 of the same year, on his way to work for the night shift, he felt severe dizziness and was unable to work, and after returning home and undergoing medical examination, he was diagnosed with ischemic stroke; the Plaintiff had a history of hypertension; after transferring from his previous workplace, the non-party Dongil Steel Co., Ltd., to the current non-party company, his work involved operating a hoist to immerse steel wire materials in chemicals, then removing and drying them; hydrochloric acid was mainly used in this process, producing an extremely strong odor, yet the workplace had no ventilation facilities, so the Plaintiff and other workers had to cover their entire faces with towels except for their eyes while working; because the process was a continuous one connected to the wire-drawing department, there were no fixed rest periods, and even during lunchtime the machines continued to operate while workers ate in shifts; the Plaintiff continued working two shifts (from 08:30 to 19:30, and from 19:30 to 08:30 the next day), resulting in a reversal of day and night that went against basic human physiological conditions; in addition, he worked overnight approximately twice a month and worked on Sundays about twice a month, and his commute took about one hour and twenty minutes each way; the Plaintiff's workload, working hours, and commuting conditions were more than twice as harsh as at his previous workplace, and since it was a newly transferred workplace, he was under considerable mental strain trying to adapt, resulting in severe physical and mental fatigue; ischemic stroke refers to a condition in which a thrombus or embolus blocks a blood vessel, preventing blood flow, and one of the major inducing factors thereof is hypertension; and overwork places a burden on the heart due to increased blood supply demands and, through the psychological effects of fatigue, adversely affects heart function, thereby promoting the formation of thrombi or emboli. Based on these findings, the court below held that the Plaintiff's ischemic stroke occurred because his hypertension worsened as a result of performing physically and mentally excessive work under poor working conditions after transferring to the new workplace, and therefore constitutes an occupational accident.

Upon examination of the record, the fact-finding and judgment of the court below as set forth above are justified, and there is no illegality therein, such as misapprehension of facts due to violation of the rules of evidence or misunderstanding of the legal principles concerning occupational accidents, as argued in the grounds of appeal. The argument is without merit.

Therefore, the appeal is dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the losing party. This judgment is rendered as set forth in the Order, with the unanimous consent of the Justices involved.

Justices Bae Seok (Presiding Justice), Park Woo-dong, Kim Sang-won, Yoon Young-cheol

【판결요지】

산업재해보상보험법 제3조 제1항에서 말하는 "업무상의 재해"라 함은 근로자가 업무수행 중 그 업무에 기인하여 발생한 근로자의 부상, 질병, 신체장애 또는 사망을 뜻하는 것이므로 업무와 재해발생과의 사이에 인과관계가 있어야 하지만, 그 재해가 업무와 직접 관련이 없는 기존의 질병이더라도 업무상의 과로가 질병의 주된 발생원인에 겹쳐서 질병을 유발 또는 악화시켰다면 그 인과관계가 있다고 보아야 할 것이고, 또한 과로로 인한 질병에는 평소에 정상적인 근무가 가능한 기초질병이나 기존질병이 업무의 과중으로 급속히 악화된 경우까지도 포함된다고 할 것인바, 고혈압 증세가 있던 근로자가 직장을 옮긴 후 철선재료 건조작업을 함에 있어 환기시설이 없고 휴식시간과 식사시간이 불규칙하며 2교대 근무로 낮과 밤이 바뀌는 생활을 하게 되는데다가 월 2회의 철야작업과 월 2회의 일요일 근무를 하는 등 열악한 작업환경 속에서 육체적, 정신적으로 과중한 업무를 수행하는 바람에 그 증세가 악화되어 허혈성 뇌졸증이 발생되었다면 이는 업무상 재해에 해당한다.

【참조조문】

산업재해보상보험법 제3조 제1항

【참조판례】

대법원 1990.2.13. 선고 89누6990 판결(공1990, 671), 1990.11.13. 선고 90누3690 판결(공1991, 108), 1991.1.11. 선고 90누8275 판결9공1991, 758)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 1,698자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고, 피상고인】 원고

【피고, 상고인】 안산지방노동사무소장

【원심판결】 서울고등법원 1990.12.5. 선고 90구16339 판결

【주 문】

상고를 기각한다.

상고비용은 피고의 부담으로 한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 판단한다.

원심은 거시증거에 의하여 원고가 1989.9.25. 소외 융창금속주식회사에 입사하여 산세반에서 일해 오던 중 같은 해 12.27. 19:00경 야간작업을 위하여 출근하는 통근버스 속에서 심한 어지러움을 느껴 근무하지 못하고 귀가한 후 진찰을 받은 결과 허혈성 뇌졸증으로 판명된 사실, 원고는 고혈압 증세가 있었는데 종전 직장인 소외 동일제강주식회사에서 근무하다가 현재의 위 소외회사로 옮긴 후 그의 작업내용은 호이스트를 작동하여 철선재료를 화학약품에 담가 두었다가 건져서 건조시키는 작업인데 그 작업과정에서 염산을 주로 사용하므로 냄새가 아주 지독한데도 작업장에 환기시설이 없어 원고 등 작업자들은 수건으로 눈만 남긴 채 얼굴전체를 가리고 작업을 하며, 신선반과 연결된 일관공정이므로 일정한 휴식시간이 정하여 있지 아니하고 중식시간에도 기계를 계속 가동시킨 상태에서 교대로 식사를 하며 2교대 근무(08:30부터 19:30까지와 19:30부터 익일 08:30까지)를 계속하므로 낮과 밤이 바뀌는 생활을 하게 되어 인간 생리조건에 역행하는 것인데다가 한달에 2회 정도 철야작업을 하고 일요일에도 2번 정도 근무를 하며 출근시간이 약 1시간20분씩 소요되는 등 원고의 업무량이나 작업시간, 출퇴근 조건들이 전 직장에 비하여 2배 이상 힘들었고 새로 옮긴 직장이라 적응하기에 신경이 쓰이는 등 육체적, 정신적으로 몹시 피로하였던 사실, 허혈성 뇌졸증이란 혈전이나 색전이 혈관을 막아서 혈류가 전달되지 못하는 증세를 말하는데 그 중요한 유발요인 중의 하나에 고혈압이 있으며 과로하게 되면 혈액공급의 증대 등으로 심장에 부담을 주고 과로에 따른 심리적 원인으로 심장기능에 악영향을 주어 혈전이나 색전의 형성이 촉진되게 되는 사실 등을 인정한 다음, 원고의 위 허혈성 뇌졸증은 원고가 직장을 옮긴 후 열악한 작업환경 속에서 육체적, 정신적으로 과중한 업무를 수행하는 바람에 원고의 고혈압 증세가 악화되어 발생된 것이므로 업무상 재해에 해당한다고 판시하였다.

기록에 의하여 살펴보면, 원심의 위와 같은 사실인정과 판단은 정당하고 거기에 소론과 같은 채증법칙위배로 인한 사실오인이나 업무상 재해에 관한 법리오해의 위법이 있다할 수 없다. 논지는 이유없다.

그러므로 상고를 기각하고 상고비용은 패소자의 부담으로 하여 관여법관의 일치된 의견으로 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 배석(재판장) 박우동 김상원 윤영철

Revocation of Disapproval of Medical Care Benefits (요양불승인처분취소)요양불승인처분취소

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[Order]

[Reasoning]

【판결요지】

【참조조문】

【참조판례】

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