Enforcement Decree of Serious Accidents Punishment Act Submitted to Cabinet Meeting on 28th... Labor and Management Opposition

Passed at the Deputy Ministerial Meeting on the 24th... No Significant Difference from the Legislative Notice Draft

Seventeen casualties occurred in the collapse of a demolition building during the redevelopment of Gwangju Hakdong 4 District in June. The photo shows the site on July 8. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The enforcement decree detailing the provisions of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is set to be submitted to the Cabinet meeting on the 28th.

According to labor and management sectors on the 27th, the draft enforcement decree for the Serious Accidents Act passed the vice-ministerial meeting on the 24th and is scheduled to be presented at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

The Serious Accidents Act, which will take effect in January next year, allows for the punishment of business managers of companies where serious accidents such as worker fatalities occur if they are found to have failed to fulfill obligations such as establishing safety and health management systems to prevent accidents.

The draft enforcement decree concretizes the contents delegated to subordinate statutes by the Serious Accidents Act and underwent a legislative notice period from July 12 to the 23rd of last month. The draft that passed the vice-ministerial meeting is reported to have little difference from the legislative notice draft.

The legislative notice draft defined the obligations of business managers to establish safety and health management systems as setting safety and health management policies, preparing work procedures to improve harmful and dangerous factors, deploying safety and health professionals, and budgeting accordingly.

Regarding occupational diseases subject to the Serious Accidents Act, disease items caused by acute poisoning, etc., were specified. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which labor sectors had demanded, were excluded. This has caused backlash from labor groups.

The management sector is also opposing the draft. The Korea Employers Federation (KEF) stated in a commentary that the draft enforcement decree did not sufficiently reflect management’s demands, pointing out that "the specific obligations that business managers must comply with are not clearly stated, which limits the resolution of legal ambiguities."

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