[Alssuljiwon] Sales Soar After Improving Work Environment

Small Enterprise and Market Service's 'Sogongin Clean Manufacturing Environment Creation Project'

According to the 2019 Industrial Accident Status Analysis published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the injury rate requiring medical treatment among small-scale manufacturers, who lack awareness of workplace environment maintenance and accident prevention, was found to be nearly twice as high as that of the overall manufacturing industry. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Support projects from government-affiliated organizations often prove to be quite effective when well understood. This is especially true for small manufacturers (Sogongin) who find it difficult to make large investments to improve their working environments. Since 2020, the Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS) has been providing financial support through the ‘Sogongin Clean Manufacturing Environment Creation Project.’ However, many small business owners, who must manage most of their company’s critical tasks including production, sales, and collections, are still unaware of and unable to utilize this support.

The Sogongin Clean Manufacturing Environment Creation Project supports improvements such as hazard process enhancement and energy efficiency through safety inspections of small manufacturers’ workplaces. Starting as a national participatory budget project in 2020, it has supported over 3,800 small manufacturing workplaces up to last year.

Seo Jeongryul, CEO of Mirae Heat Treatment, a metal heat treatment processing manufacturer in Gangseo-gu, Busan, was troubled by the cracked and worn floors of his workplace. Harmful dust arose during work, and the risk of slip accidents was high. After checking construction costs, which were considerable, he hesitated but then happened to see the announcement for this support project and applied, receiving funding. After completing impermeable floor construction, the workplace air improved and the risk of accidents decreased. CEO Seo said, "The workplace hazard level was lowered and cleanliness improved, which positively impacted the evaluation during subcontractor delivery contract reviews."

Cho Taehyun, CEO of Seonggangsa, a machine parts manufacturer, learned from the workplace safety inspection that failing to install protective devices on presses and shears could lead to penalties under the Industrial Safety and Health Act. He looked into installing protective devices but faced high costs. Through this project, CEO Cho received support for the costs of protective devices and safety covers for presses and shears. He said, "Using large machines always carries the risk of serious accidents like entrapment and crushing, but this has been prevented in advance, improving employee satisfaction and overall work efficiency."

The Sogongin Clean Manufacturing Environment Creation Project supported by SEMAS includes ▲product replacement for energy efficiency improvement ▲productivity enhancement through production process efficiency ▲work environment improvement by removing harmful substances from workers’ environments ▲support for high-risk equipment and protective devices. This year, a budget has been secured to support up to 6 million KRW per workplace for 2,000 small manufacturers.

Meanwhile, according to the 2019 Industrial Accident Status Analysis released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the injury rate requiring medical care among small manufacturers, who lack awareness of workplace environment maintenance and accident prevention, was nearly twice as high as that of the overall manufacturing industry.

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