KOSHA Conducts Pinch and Fire Prevention Inspections at Mask Manufacturers

Park Doo-yong, Chairman of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (second from the left), is conducting a safety inspection with the employer at Dobu Lifetech in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, urging caution to prevent entrapment accidents and fires.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency conducted a safety inspection on mask manufacturers on the 24th to prevent worker accidents due to changes in the work environment, such as increased workload caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The chairman of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and the inspection team visited Dobu Lifetech, a mask manufacturer located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, focusing on checking for pinch hazards and fire risk factors. Pinch hazards are the most common type of fatal accidents in manufacturing and mainly occur during foreign object removal, cleaning, and repair work.

Accordingly, the inspection team focused on the safety devices and emergency stop devices of machinery and equipment, whether power is cut off during maintenance and repair work, and the implementation status of lockout devices and signage installation. In addition, related to the warehouse fire in Icheon that occurred last April, they inspected the isolation, removal, and protection status of combustible materials, as well as the safety status of fire prevention equipment and facilities.

Park Duyong, chairman of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, said during the inspection, "We thank everyone who has played an important role in K-quarantine by manufacturing and supplying masks in a timely manner to overcome COVID-19," and added, "We urge employers to take thorough safety measures against pinch accidents, which are frequent fatal accidents in manufacturing, and workers to comply with safety rules."

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