Organize work hours before an occupational-disease review
After a cerebrovascular or heart disease such as cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction or myocardial infarction, a worker or family may need to reconstruct the workload before onset.
This calculator compares recorded hours against Korea’s occupational-disease notice and identifies periods and evidence that still need checking.
It separately calculates the latest 12-week and 4-week averages and the increase during the final week.
These are Korea-specific 2026 rules, not an international medical-risk scale or an approval-probability model.
A weekly figure above 52 hours does not establish entitlement by itself, and a figure at or below 52 does not rule out a claim.
Actual working conditions, recovery, mental demands, changes in the environment and medical circumstances require an overall review.
Your next action
Request attendance, entry, PC-login or dispatch records for missing weeks, and reconcile breaks and night work where totals are near a threshold.
Bring the report together with workload evidence to KCOMWEL or a Korean workers’ compensation adviser.
The result does not determine whether professional representation is necessary or whether a claim will succeed.
1. Count 13 weeks backward from disease onset
Enter the onset date used for reviewing the case, rather than the death date or the date a certificate was issued.
If onset and death occurred on different dates, check medical records and the sequence of events before selecting the date.
The onset day itself is excluded: W1 is the seven days ending on the previous day, followed by consecutively older weeks W2 through W13.
These periods can differ from Monday-based payroll weeks, so regroup the original records using the displayed date windows.
Chronic-workload windows
The latest 12 weeks are W1–W12; the latest 4 weeks are W1–W4.
The weeks closest to onset appear in both windows.
Short-term comparison window
Compare W1 with the average of the preceding 12 weeks excluding W1: W2–W13.
Do not substitute the latest 12-week average for this baseline; the two calculations require 13 weeks in total.
For onset on 2026-11-06, W1 is 2026-10-30 through 2026-11-05 and W13 is 2026-08-07 through 2026-08-13.
If a recent hire, extended leave or another circumstance makes the standard window unsuitable, obtain case-specific guidance instead of inventing missing hours or shortening the denominator.
2. Actual work, night work and evidence status
Enter actual weekly work hours after excluding breaks.
Night hours are the part of those actual work hours occurring from 22:00 to 06:00, also excluding breaks.
Do not use the entire time between arrival and departure without checking breaks, and do not add night hours twice.
Commuting, standby, duty and meal periods need review according to their actual circumstances; presence at a workplace alone does not establish working time.
Blank is different from confirmed zero
Leave unavailable figures blank instead of entering zero to mean unknown.
Enter actual 0 and night 0 only for a week in which no work has been confirmed.
A numerical entry without confirmed evidence leaves the affected calculation on hold.
The initial form is blank; the sample button explicitly loads a fictional example rather than a user record.
Input limits are 0–168 actual hours and 0–56 night hours per week, with night hours no greater than actual hours.
Actual minus night hours must also remain within the physical non-night limit of 112 hours per week.
These are physical limits for a seven-day window, not permitted workload limits or entitlement rules.
Use decimal hours with up to six decimal places: 30 minutes is 0.5 hours and 15 minutes is 0.25 hours.
3. Add 30% for night hours, subject to the exception
Notice work hours = actual hours + eligible night hours × 0.30
If actual work is 50 hours, including 20 night hours, the notice figure is 50 + 20 × 0.30 = 56 hours.
The 20 night hours already form part of the actual 50; the additional weighting is 6 hours.
This is not the separate 50% night-wage premium calculation.
The notice excludes approved surveillance or intermittent workers under Labor Standards Act Article 63(3), and similar work, from this night weighting.
Do not infer the exception merely from a security-guard job title or a night schedule.
Check the approval document and actual duties before selecting the exception status.
In the example above, a confirmed exception produces 50 hours; an unknown exception with positive night hours leaves the weighted result on hold.
The weighted figure expresses workload for the notice comparison.
A figure larger than actual time, including one above 168 after weighting, does not mean that many actual hours were worked.
Keep actual time and the weighting separate when reconciling the report with source records.
4. The 60-, 64- and 52-hour boundaries
Korean chronic-workload hour thresholds, window totals and interpretation| Window | Weekly average | Window total | Interpretation |
|---|
| Latest 12 weeks | More than 60 hours | More than 720 hours | A strong work–disease relationship under the hour-based pathway |
| Latest 4 weeks | More than 64 hours | More than 256 hours | An alternative to the 12-week strong-relationship pathway |
| Latest 12 weeks | More than 52 hours | More than 624 hours | Relationship increases with hours; review aggravating factors |
All three hour thresholds are strictly greater-than comparisons.
Exactly 60 hours does not satisfy more than 60 hours, even if the arithmetic gap to the threshold is zero.
Exactly 52 hours still requires consideration of other workload circumstances, including combined exposure to aggravating factors.
Compare original values rather than deciding a boundary from a rounded display figure.
Above a 52-hour average over the latest 12 weeks, the notice evaluates the relationship as increasing with work hours and provides for a strong relationship when specified aggravating work conditions apply.
An hour-based pathway is distinct from a Labor Standards Act working-hour violation and from a final compensation decision.
5. A 30% final-week increase and the preceding 24 hours
Increase = (W1 ÷ average of W2–W13 − 1) × 100
A baseline of 40 hours and W1 of 52 hours gives a 30% increase.
The notice uses at least 30%, so exactly 30% satisfies this numerical condition.
With the same baseline, W1 of 51.99 hours is below 30%.
If the baseline is zero, a meaningful percentage cannot be calculated; the result is held rather than treated as infinity or automatic satisfaction.
A short-term workload increase can also involve changes in intensity, responsibility or the work environment that are difficult to adapt to.
The calculator compares hours numerically and lists qualitative changes as a separate review pathway.
An increase below 30% does not remove the need to review those circumstances.
Sudden tension, excitement, fear, surprise or an abrupt environmental change within 24 hours before onset is reviewed separately under the acute pathway.
Record the timing, onset sequence and supporting messages, calls or witness accounts.
Checking that an event occurred does not establish the necessary physiological change or medical relationship by itself.
6. Seven aggravating work conditions
- Unpredictable schedules: document unexpected calls and schedule changes with rosters and messages.
- Shift work: record the sequence and spacing of day/night duties, together with recovery and sleep opportunities.
- Insufficient days off: distinguish nominal holidays from days actually free of work and callouts.
- Cold, temperature changes or noise: document the location, exposure and relevant environmental records.
- High physical intensity: describe loads, repetition, movement and their actual frequency.
- Frequent travel across large time differences: retain destinations, travel schedules and recovery information.
- High mental tension: explain responsibility, complaints, incident response and the duration of the burden using supporting records.
Keep an unknown factor as unknown rather than treating it as absent.
The notice states that combined exposure can increase the work–disease relationship even at or below a 52-hour average.
It does not supply an automatic approval score or a fixed number of checked factors.
The substance, intensity, overlap and duration of exposure require review together.
7. Prepare the records and use the calculator
- Confirm onset using medical records and the event sequence, then note the displayed W1–W13 dates.
- Reconcile attendance and breaks, and total actual hours and the night portion for each week.
- Set each week’s evidence status and confirm whether the surveillance/intermittent-work exception applies.
- Separate aggravating conditions, qualitative final-week changes and acute events within 24 hours.
- Read each window’s result and hold reasons, and request original evidence for unresolved periods.
- Save the TXT report or print it for use alongside the work-hour records and evidence list.
Holds are evaluated for each window rather than discarding every comparison.
If only W13 is unconfirmed, the short-term comparison is held but complete latest-12-week and latest-4-week results remain available.
If W5 is missing, the latest-4-week comparison remains available while the 12-week and short-term comparisons are held.
8. Three worked examples
Every week is 60 hours
With 60 actual hours and no night hours in each of 13 weeks, both the latest-12-week and latest-4-week averages are 60 hours.
The more-than-60 condition is not met, while more than 52 is met.
The final week equals the earlier baseline, so the increase is 0%; aggravating factors still need review.
Earlier baseline 40 hours; final week 52
If W2–W13 are all 40 hours and W1 is 52, with no night hours, the final-week increase is exactly 30% and meets the numerical short-term condition.
The latest-12-week average is 41 hours and the latest-4-week average is 43 hours.
The short-term and chronic hour pathways can therefore produce different results.
50 actual hours, including 20 night hours
If every week has this pattern and the night weighting applies, both averages are 56 hours.
With a confirmed exception, both are 50 hours.
If exception status is unknown, confirm applicability before treating either result as established.
These are fictional examples demonstrating the formulas.
A similar time pattern can lead to a different final assessment depending on the disease, actual work, events and evidence.
9. Use the gap to check missing historical records
The latest-12-week gap to 60 is max(0, 720 − latest 12-week total); the latest-4-week gap is max(0, 256 − latest 4-week total); the 12-week gap to 52 is max(0, 624 − latest 12-week total).
The short-term gap is max(0, earlier 12-week average × 1.30 − W1).
A whole-window gap and an average-hours gap have different units; read the period and unit shown beside the result.
A zero gap does not always mean satisfaction
For a strict greater-than test, a total exactly equal to the threshold has a zero arithmetic gap but has not exceeded the threshold.
The gap is a prompt to reconcile authentic historical records.
It is not a recommendation to add working time after onset, inflate records or present an estimate as documented fact.
If attendance and entry records differ, establish what actual work occurred and exclude genuine breaks before adding time.
PC logins, driving, dispatches, instructions and calls are records to cross-check; none automatically proves the full working period alone.
Keep requested, obtained and outstanding evidence separate so an adviser can identify what still needs explanation.
10. Scope and limitations
The verified scope is Korean onset dates in 2026 from 2026-02-23, when MOEL Notice No. 2026-14 took effect.
Earlier onset or another year requires checking the applicable legal version, so the calculator holds automatic assessment for those dates.
It does not determine underlying disease, lifestyle effects, medical diagnosis, substantial causation or the reliability of evidence from a weekly ledger.
A strong-relationship result describes a notice pathway, not a benefit award.
A numerical condition not met does not remove qualitative changes, acute events or aggravating conditions from consideration and does not prohibit a claim.
Recent employment, multiple workplaces or other cases unsuited to the standard window need individual review of what to include.
This calculator does not calculate survivor benefits, funeral expenses, temporary-disability benefits or a limitation deadline.
Use the existing compensation calculator and actual KCOMWEL guidance after organizing the workload evidence; conditions and starting dates can differ between benefits.
There is no medical-document upload requirement, and users should check personal information before sharing an exported report.
Frequently asked questions
Can I claim if the weekly average is 52 hours or less?
A low hour figure does not by itself prevent a claim.
Combined aggravating conditions and other workload circumstances still require review.
Why are 13 weeks needed?
The latest 12-week average uses W1–W12, but the final-week increase compares W1 with the preceding 12 weeks excluding W1, namely W2–W13.
Does exactly 60 hours satisfy the 12-week condition?
No: 60, 64 and 52 hours are strict greater-than thresholds.
The short-term 30% increase is an at-least condition.
Do I add the 50% night-wage premium?
The notice adds 30% of actual night work from 22:00 to 06:00 after breaks.
Thus 50 actual hours including 20 night hours becomes 56 notice hours.
Are all security guards exempt from night weighting?
The job title alone is insufficient.
Check approval under Labor Standards Act Article 63(3), actual surveillance or intermittent duties, and similar-work applicability.
Does one missing old week remove every result?
No: holds follow the affected window.
Missing W13 holds the short-term comparison while complete latest-12-week and latest-4-week results remain available.
Do two aggravating factors guarantee recognition?
The notice does not provide an automatic approval count or score.
The nature, intensity, duration and combination of exposures require review.
Is the saved report a complete claim application?
It is a preparation report.
Reconcile attendance, entry, night work, breaks, workload evidence and medical records, then follow the actual KCOMWEL application procedure.
Official sources and verification date
Verified on 2026-11-06 through Korea’s National Law Information OPEN API.
The Act and Enforcement Decree effective dates differ from the notice effective date.
- MOEL Notice No. 2026-14: matters necessary to determine occupational recognition of cerebrovascular, heart and musculoskeletal diseases, effective 2026-02-23, Part I.1(a)–(d): acute, short-term and chronic workload and night weighting.
- Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, Article 37: occupational-injury and disease framework, MST283459, effective 2026-07-01.
- Enforcement Decree, Article 34 and Annex 3 item 1: detailed occupational-disease criteria for cerebrovascular and heart diseases, MST287491, effective 2026-07-01.
Recheck the notice applicable at onset, later amendments, actual breaks and night work, approval or similar-work exceptions and case-specific evidence treatment.
A verification date does not resolve future amendments or the assessment of an individual claim.
Prepare the hour ledger with its supporting evidence
Enter onset and the 13-week record, then obtain evidence for the periods still on hold.
Save the comparison alongside workload details, the event sequence and medical records for consultation and application preparation.