Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules Amendment of the Machinery Equipment Act Promulgated... Effective from the 2nd

Mandatory Appointment of Mechanical Equipment Maintenance Managers from April... Report to Jurisdictional City, County, or District Office

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 1st that the amended Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Mechanical Equipment Act, which regulate the career reporting and appointment procedures for mechanical equipment maintenance managers (hereinafter referred to as maintenance managers), along with related administrative rules, will be enforced from the 2nd.

According to the amendment, when a maintenance manager reports their certification and career details to the Korea Mechanical Equipment Construction Association, the association verifies the information, assigns a maintenance manager grade, and issues a maintenance manager booklet containing the grade and career details.

Additionally, the management entity must appoint a maintenance manager for the building and submit a maintenance manager appointment report to the relevant city, county, or district office, attaching the maintenance manager’s booklet.

The management entity must appoint one responsible maintenance manager (from special to beginner grade) and one assistant maintenance manager if the building area is 30,000 m2 or more, or if there are 2,000 or more households. Violations of this requirement may result in a fine of up to 5 million KRW.

For buildings newly constructed or expanded after the law’s enforcement, appointment must be made within 30 days from the completion date, and for existing buildings, the requirement will be phased in starting April 17.

Management entities intending to report appointments must submit documents verifying the maintenance manager’s employment status, such as a certificate of employment or a consignment contract, along with the maintenance manager booklet, to the city, county, or district office (including special self-governing cities and provinces) where the building is located.

Applications for career reporting and booklet issuance for maintenance managers can be made from the 22nd on the Korea Mechanical Equipment Construction Association’s website, and on-site submissions are also possible by visiting the association’s headquarters.

When reporting career details, documents proving qualifications such as national technical certificates, construction technician booklets, and documents verifying maintenance work experience must be attached. Detailed information on qualification and career recognition criteria can be found in the “Standards for Career Reporting and Grade Recognition of Mechanical Equipment Maintenance Managers, etc.”

Furthermore, for those already engaged in mechanical equipment maintenance work before the law’s enforcement, an additional five-year grace period is granted to ensure continuity and professionalism while preparing for qualification.

Only those continuously employed at the site as of April 18 last year, when the Mechanical Equipment Act was enforced, will be granted a temporary grade until April 17, 2026, allowing them to continue working regardless of qualification conditions. This temporary grade expires upon job change or retirement.

To receive the temporary grade, applicants must submit documents proving employment status as of last year when applying for the maintenance manager booklet issuance.

Moreover, the “Mechanical Equipment Maintenance Standards,” which include specific details on maintenance manager duties such as inspection cycles and inspection items, will be prepared in March. A maintenance manager promotion system will also be established in the first half of this year to allow those with sufficient field experience and practical skills to receive higher grades through prescribed training and evaluation.

Kim Kwangrim, Director of the Construction Industry Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “Through the maintenance manager appointment system, positive effects such as energy cost reduction, performance improvement, and lifespan extension are expected due to systematic and efficient operation and management of mechanical equipment.” He added, “Since this system is being implemented for the first time, we will continuously refine it to minimize any adverse effects in the field.”

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