Gyeonggi-do to Hold Industrial Accident Prevention Forum at National Assembly on 29th

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The "Gyeonggi-do Industrial Accident Prevention Forum," aimed at discussing ways to guarantee the "right to safety" for workers who face life-threatening risks such as falls, fires, and suffocation at industrial sites, will be held on the 29th at the 8th Conference Room of the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul.

Under the theme "Worker Safety is National Competitiveness!", about 50 participants including Gyeonggi-do Governor Lee Jae-myung, members of the National Assembly, workers, labor unions within the province, support centers for non-regular workers in cities and counties, and labor policy officials from metropolitan cities and local governments will attend the forum.

The keynote speakers for the day include Professor Lee Myung-gu of Eulji University (on the current status and future tasks of industrial accidents and labor safety in Korea) and Professor Gong Ha-seong of Woosuk University (on the role of local governments in preventing industrial accidents).

The panel discussion, chaired by Yoon Jo-duk, President of the Korea Social Policy Institute, will feature sector-specific discussants such as Lim Jae-beom, Director of the Industrial Safety and Health Research Office at the Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Choi Myung-sun, Director of Labor Safety and Health at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Yoo Sung-kyu, labor attorney from the Labor Health Solidarity; and Lim Young-mi, Director of the Industrial Accident Prevention Policy Division at the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Governor Lee is expected to emphasize the necessity of sharing labor police authority between local and central governments as a way to overcome the limitations of the current labor inspector system.

A provincial official stated, "This forum was organized to seek fundamental and institutional solutions to safety issues in labor sites," adding, "We hope various discussions will take place to realize a world where workers are not sacrificed for someone else's benefit."

The province is implementing a comprehensive industrial accident prevention plan with the goal of "reducing industrial accident fatalities at workplaces within the province by 50%." It is also promoting initiatives such as operating labor safety guardians, establishing regional construction safety centers, providing industrial accident prevention education, and expanding incentives for excellent companies in accident prevention.

They are continuously proposing to the central government the introduction of a "local government labor police system" to share labor inspection authority held by the central government with local governments, as well as the enactment of related laws to punish employers responsible for serious accidents.

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