Launch of the Control Tower Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters under the Serious Accident Punishment Act

Kwon Ki-seop, Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters, reporting progress at the launch ceremony of the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters held on the afternoon of the 13th at the Ministry of Employment and Labor annex in Bangok-dong, Sejong City. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters, a government agency that will serve as the 'control tower' function to prevent serious accidents such as worker fatalities, was launched on the 13th.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it held the headquarters inauguration ceremony at the Ministry's annex in Banggok-dong, Sejong City, on the afternoon of the same day.

The headquarters is an organization significantly expanded and reorganized from the Ministry's existing Industrial Safety Prevention and Compensation Policy Bureau to drastically reduce industrial accidents. Accordingly, five new divisions were added to the existing organization of five divisions and 47 personnel, increasing the workforce to 82. Related organizations in local labor offices nationwide also added 17 new divisions to the existing 46, increasing personnel from 715 to 821.

Starting January next year, it will be responsible for enforcing the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The Serious Accidents Act, which will be enforced from January next year, allows for the punishment of management officials such as CEOs when serious accidents occur. The headquarters' Serious Industrial Accident Supervision Division will be in charge of supporting investigations into violations of the Serious Accidents Act.

The government is also pursuing plans to expand and reorganize the headquarters into an independent Industrial Safety and Health Agency.

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