Construction Equipment Operators Face Fines Up to 1 Million Won for Skipping Safety Training

Drivers Licensed Before 2009 Must Complete Training by Year-End

On the 17th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced a request for construction machinery operators to promptly complete the safety training that has been in effect since January last year to prevent accidents and ensure safety.

Holders of construction machinery operator licenses must choose one of two courses?general construction machinery or handling machinery?depending on the license type, and complete 4 hours of safety training on machinery structure, work safety, and accident prevention every three years.

The safety training for construction machinery operators was first introduced in October 2019 and has been implemented since January last year. Those who obtained their licenses before 2009 must complete the training by the end of this year.

If the eligible trainees operate construction machinery without completing the safety training, they will be subject to fines. The first violation incurs a fine of 500,000 KRW, the second violation 700,000 KRW, and the third violation 1,000,000 KRW.

The Ministry has significantly expanded the number of training centers from 72 to 244 to improve convenience for operators, and considering COVID-19 social distancing guidelines and working conditions, online training has also been available since February this year.

Methods for attending the training can be confirmed through each training institution and the 'Construction Machinery Operator Safety Training Integrated Portal.'

The Ministry explained, "To ensure the safety training system for operators is well established, we plan to conduct construction site inspections on training completion status in the first half of next year."

Additionally, by the first half of next year, the Ministry plans to complete a research project to improve safety training and devise measures to enhance the quality so that the training is effective for operators.

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