The First On-Site Inspection Day of the New Year to be Held on the 12th... 1,500 Labor Inspectors Nationwide to be Deployed

Conducted 12 Biweekly Sessions from July to December Last Year
Implementing Monthly On-Site Inspection Days This Year

Distributed 'Guide to Preventing Major Accidents Through Case Studies'

Minister of Employment Introduces '3C' for Hazard Inspection, Confirmation, and Removal
"Major Accident Act Aims for 3C Practice, Not CEO Punishment"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The "On-site Inspection Day," which conducts surprise inspections nationwide on the three major safety measures (fall and entrapment prevention measures, wearing of personal protective equipment) identified as the main causes of industrial accident fatalities, will be carried out again this year without fail. The government announced on the 12th that it will implement the first On-site Inspection Day of the year and plans to distribute a serious accident prevention guide at the sites.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 11th that it will deploy more than 1,500 personnel, including labor inspectors nationwide, and about 400 emergency patrol vehicles for the first On-site Inspection Day of the year on the 12th. This will be the first implementation this year ahead of the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act on the 27th. Earlier, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 10th that On-site Inspection Day would be held monthly this year. From July 14 to December 22 last year, inspections were conducted biweekly, but this year the frequency has been reduced to monthly. However, since local office inspectors and prosecutors will also conduct investigations into violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, high-intensity supervision is expected to continue. A ministry official said, "We will expand the inspection targets compared to before and conduct inspections and guidance on the establishment status of safety and health management systems at manufacturing and construction sites subject to the Serious Accident Punishment Act."

The focus will be on minimizing "construction industry falls and manufacturing industry entrapments." Specifically, as part of fall risk prevention measures, thorough checks will be made to ensure that safety railings, opening covers, and fall prevention nets are properly installed. For entrapment risk prevention, inspections will verify whether safety devices have been installed on conveyors, crushers, etc., and whether operations are properly stopped during repairs and inspections. It will also check whether workers are properly wearing safety helmets, safety harnesses, and safety shoes. If any improvement points are found during the inspection, correction will be demanded within two weeks, and if even one industrial accident fatality occurs without a properly established safety and health management system, the management responsible will be subject to "imprisonment for one year or more or a fine of up to 1 billion won."

Table of Contents for Serious Accident Prevention Guide by Case. (Source: Ministry of Employment and Labor)

Additionally, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced to the industrial sites that it has published the "Serious Accident Prevention Guide with Case Studies." It also urged the use of the "Serious Accident Punishment Act website" for detailed materials. The guide includes accident cases caused by failure to follow basic safety rules and the safety rules that must be observed. As an extension of the three major safety measures targeted for supervision on On-site Inspection Day, the message emphasized that "just by properly following the guide's recommendations, industrial accident fatalities can be reduced and penalties under the Serious Accident Punishment Act can be avoided." The website not only posts explanatory materials on the Serious Accident Punishment Act but also plans to distribute Q&A-style materials addressing on-site concerns within this month, so it advised referring to them.

Minister of Employment and Labor Ahn Kyung-deok urged the practice of the so-called "3C": Check (on-site inspection), Confirm (identification of harmful and dangerous factors), and Clean (complete removal). Minister Ahn said, "The basics and core of safety management are not well-prepared documents but recognizing the fact that risks at the site must be thoroughly identified and improved, and a clean environment maintained," adding, "The Serious Accident Punishment Act, which will be enforced on the 27th, is not about punishing management but aims to prevent serious accidents by having management establish a safety and health management system centered on management responsibility so that the '3C' is properly practiced on-site."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced plans to provide safety and health management system consulting under the Serious Accident Punishment Act starting next month to about 3,500 companies with 50 to 299 employees that wish to participate.

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