Free Expert Consulting Support! ... Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Provides 'Risk Assessment Consulting' Support

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Duyul] The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) will conduct 'Risk Assessment Consulting' to prevent serious injuries such as fatal accidents at small and medium-sized workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, which are vulnerable to industrial accidents.

The 'Risk Assessment Consulting' project involves KOSHA visiting workplaces with fewer than 50 employees that lack sufficient capacity for accident prevention, identifying harmful and hazardous factors that could cause serious injuries or death, and providing free consulting to help improve these conditions.

In the construction industry, the target includes headquarters of general construction companies ranked below 200 in construction capability evaluation or construction projects with a contract amount under 12 billion KRW, while civil engineering projects under 15 billion KRW are also eligible.

In preparation for the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which will apply from January 27, 2024, to workplaces with 5 to fewer than 50 employees, this year’s consulting will focus on 'high-risk factors causing serious injuries or worse' with a first round of consulting, followed by a second round to enhance employer commitment and worker participation, differing from previous years.

The first round of consulting on 'high-risk factors causing serious injuries or worse' involves technical support to predict and improve tasks or situations that may cause death or serious injury.

To this end, KOSHA analyzed 3,306 manufacturing industry accidents over the past three years and developed a 'Serious Injury High-Risk Factor Evaluation Table' that can identify high-risk tasks and related accident-causing factors on site, which will be utilized in the consulting process.

The second round of consulting aims to verify the implementation of the first round and enhance the safety and health capabilities of workplaces with 5 to fewer than 50 employees, to which the Serious Accidents Punishment Act will apply in 2024.

It focuses on supporting management leadership and worker participation in identifying harmful and hazardous factors, establishing improvement measures, and executing them.

Additionally, upon further request from workplaces with 5 to fewer than 50 employees, a third round of consulting will also be provided.

Consulting applications can be made online through the Risk Assessment Support System website, or by visiting or mailing applications to local KOSHA offices.

Risk assessment is a mandatory obligation for employers under Article 36 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, requiring employers to identify harmful and hazardous factors in the workplace and implement appropriate preventive measures.

Director Ahn Jong-ju of KOSHA stated, “It is crucial for workplaces to independently identify and improve harmful and hazardous factors to prevent industrial accidents,” adding, “We will spare no effort to support accident prevention and enhance safety and health levels at workplaces with fewer than 50 employees that lack sufficient accident prevention capacity.”

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