Fire Agency Mandates Qualification and Training Completion for Hazardous Material Transport Truck Drivers

Amendment to the "Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act" to be Promulgated in Early June... Subordinate Legislation to be Enacted in the First Half of 2021

At around 1:20 PM on November 2, 2017, a 5-ton truck carrying engine oil in drums exploded in front of Changwon Tunnel on the Changwon-Gimhae Jangyu direction in Gyeongnam, resulting in 3 deaths and 5 injuries.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Fire Agency announced on the 2nd that the amended "Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act," which requires cargo truck drivers transporting hazardous materials in drums or plastic and glass containers to obtain relevant qualifications and receive regular training, will be promulgated earlier this month.

Currently, there is a legal basis mandating qualifications and completion of training for drivers of hazardous material tank lorries (mobile tank storage), but there has been no such basis for cargo truck drivers transporting hazardous materials in containers such as drums, which is why this new provision has been established.

The National Fire Agency explained that to prevent recurrence of large-scale damage such as fires and explosions in accidents involving hazardous material transport vehicles, like the Changwon Tunnel cargo truck fire accident in 2017 and the Sangju Tunnel vehicle fire in 2015, hazardous material transport management has been strengthened.

To this end, since January 2018, an amendment containing the basis for qualifications and training of hazardous material transporters was prepared, and after a legislative notice period from May 15 to June 25 of the same year, the amendment finally passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 20th of last month.

According to the amendment, hazardous material transporters who load containers with hazardous materials exceeding designated quantities onto vehicles must hold hazardous material-related qualifications such as Hazardous Materials Technician, Hazardous Materials Industrial Engineer, or Hazardous Materials Craftsman, and must receive practical training periodically. Transporting hazardous materials without qualifications will result in a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

The National Fire Agency expects that the number of people subject to mandatory training will reach approximately 33,600 for intensive training and 13,200 for practical training due to this legal amendment. Additionally, to enable the amendment to take effect from July next year, they are preparing subordinate legislation detailing the subjects of intensive and practical training for hazardous material transporters, training intervals, and other specifics.

Kim Seung-ryong, head of the Fire Response Investigation Division at the National Fire Agency, said, "The training time will be within 8 hours, and the training content is being reviewed at the level of tank lorry transporters, including loading and securing methods for transport containers and safety rules," adding, "There will be a grace period of one year after enforcement to allow time to obtain qualifications."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.