"Protective Gear and Labor Cost Support in Laboratories"…Implementation of Strengthened Safety Policies

Ministry of Science and ICT, Following the Safety Management Act Implemented in December Last Year

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government will implement significantly strengthened support policies for laboratory safety at universities and research institutions, including the purchase of protective equipment and personnel expenses for dedicated organizations.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 23rd that it will promote projects such as the Excellent Laboratory Safety Certification System, safety management consulting, support for improving safety environments (infrastructure), and support for dedicated organizations. Although the Ministry of Science and ICT has been conducting such projects annually to create a safe research environment and spread a safety culture, the contents have been significantly strengthened according to the full revision of the "Act on the Creation of Safe Laboratory Environments," which came into effect on December 10 last year.

In the case of the Excellent Laboratory Safety Certification System, if selected as the best, a ministerial citation and a reward worth 2 million KRW are given at the annual Laboratory Safety Week event. Benefits such as exemption from regular safety inspections and additional points in government-led projects and evaluations are provided. For the environmental improvement support project, safety management consulting and infrastructure construction costs are supported for science and technology laboratories installed and operated by universities and research institutions. Safety management consulting involves consultants (two or more) visiting research sites that require expert knowledge and advice on laboratory safety to provide free education, interviews, and guidance on laboratory safety.

The infrastructure construction project supports up to 50 million KRW for institutions struggling to create a safe research environment due to financial conditions, for laboratory safety infrastructure (facilities, equipment, protective gear, etc.). It can be used for establishing standard laboratory models, waste disposal costs, hazardous factor exposure assessment costs, purchase of laboratory safety and protective equipment, and building IoT-based smart safety management systems.

The government also supports the installation and operation of dedicated safety organizations in universities and research institutions that have laboratories to improve safety management expertise and spread safety culture within organizations, including operational and personnel expansion costs. An independent department consisting of at least one head (can hold concurrent positions) and one regular employee must be established, and an annual government budget of 90 million KRW is provided. After conducting the project for one year this year, if the evaluation is good, support can be received for a total of three years until 2023.

Kang Sang-wook, Director of the Future Talent Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "To prevent laboratory accidents and strengthen researcher protection, we fully revised the Laboratory Safety Act last year and are implementing various support measures to reduce the burden of safety management on the field," adding, "Through related systems and projects, we will actively support researchers to conduct their research with peace of mind and in a safe environment."

Meanwhile, laboratory accidents occurred 232 times at 117 research institutions last year, an increase of 22 cases compared to the previous year, and three serious accidents were also reported.

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