Experts Required for Asbestos Removal Company Registration... Follow-up Measures After the 'Gwangju Collapse Disaster'

Ministry of Employment and Environment Announces Institutional Improvement Measures

On the afternoon of June 9, 119 rescue workers are conducting rescue operations at the site of the building collapse accident during demolition work in Hakdong, Dong-gu, Gwangju. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] In response to the issue of excessive price cutting, known as 'huryeochigi,' during the re-subcontracting process related to the building collapse disaster in Gwangju Metropolitan City, the government announced plans to improve the system. Improvements include requiring asbestos removal companies to have at least one expert on staff.

On the 25th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Environment announced measures to strengthen the management of demolition companies and work sites, as well as restrictions on subcontracting, as part of the asbestos removal work system improvement plan. The government stated that after problems arose during the re-subcontracting process of asbestos removal work at the Gwangju Hakdong collapse accident site in June?where the related amount dropped sharply from 2.2 billion KRW to 400 million KRW?the system was revised.

First, companies will be allowed to register only if they have at least one professional with asbestos-related knowledge, such as an industrial safety and health qualified person. The evaluation system will be changed to assign scores differentially based on the number of work cases and possession of necessary equipment (such as negative pressure machines) during the annual safety evaluation conducted by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

Conversely, the criteria for cancellation of registration will be strengthened. Inspections will focus on companies that acted as brokers without performing actual work and were previously excluded from demolition company inspections (by the Ministry of Employment and Labor) and safety evaluations (by the Safety Agency). Companies that operated without meeting registration standards will be subject to cancellation of registration. Amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Act will be pursued to automatically cancel registration for companies with no work performance for over one year.

Only companies that receive S, A, or B grades (excellent companies) in the Safety Agency’s evaluation will be allowed to receive demolition work orders, and the construction industry and education offices will be guided accordingly. Companies receiving the lowest grade, D, will be restricted from participating in the Ministry of Environment and local governments’ 'Slate Disposal Support' projects.

Additionally, ▲local labor offices will be given the authority to reject plans if the construction amount drastically decreases during subcontracting, and ▲inspection results of violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (Ministry of Employment and Labor) and asbestos-related laws (Ministry of Environment) by company supervisors will be shared with local offices and local governments to strengthen management.

Kwon Kisub, Director of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, "We hope this system improvement will provide an opportunity for workers to be properly protected." Park Yonggyu, Director of the Environmental Health Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, stated, "We will continue to operate the asbestos management system through organic cooperation between the two ministries so that the public can feel safe."

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