Starting Next Year, Public Institutions Will Be Rated on a 5-Level Safety Evaluation Scale

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Starting next year, the 'Public Institution Safety Rating System,' which annually evaluates the safety levels of public institutions with risk factors such as work sites, construction sites, facilities (multi-use facilities), and research facilities, will be implemented.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that on the 5th, the amendment to the 'Guidelines on Safety Management of Public Institutions' for the introduction of the Public Institution Safety Rating System and Safety Management Responsibility Report in 2021 was approved by the Public Institution Management Committee and notified to all public institutions on the 11th.

The Public Institution Safety Rating System aims to reduce accidents at work and construction sites by introducing a safety rating system in public institutions to foster a voluntary safety culture and strengthen safety management.

A Safety Rating Review Team, mainly composed of external safety experts, will be formed to evaluate safety ratings annually and assign safety ratings to public institutions. The targets include about 110 institutions such as public enterprises, quasi-governmental agencies, and other public institutions deemed important for safety management due to possessing risk factors. These institutions will be assessed on safety capabilities such as safety plans, safety organizations, personnel, budgets, efforts and conditions in managing risk factors, and safety values including social contribution and accident status. Based on this, a five-level safety rating will be determined: Mature, Established, Operating, Basic, and No Response. Safety ratings for individual risk factors such as work sites, construction sites, facilities, and research facilities will also be assigned.

Safety ratings must be disclosed on the institution’s website and management disclosure system. Institutions with the highest ratings will receive incentives such as temporary exemption from safety measure reporting obligations and commendations from the Deputy Prime Minister for safety certification. Conversely, lower-rated institutions will face penalties including increased safety investment in vulnerable areas, expanded safety education hours for management, mandatory completion of safety programs, and compulsory safety consulting by specialized agencies. These ratings will also be reflected in management evaluations.

Additionally, to strengthen accountability in safety management, the government has mandated that all public institutions prepare and disclose a Safety Management Responsibility Report. This report must include the current year’s safety management plan, the previous year’s implementation results, inspection outcomes, and accident status. This report will be reflected in the public institution safety rating evaluation.

The Public Institution Safety Rating System will be piloted this year with about 60 institutions and fully implemented from 2021. Disclosure of the Safety Management Responsibility Report will begin in April of the same year.

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