Ensuring Workplace Safety Amid Heatwaves... Chemtopia "Solves with Smart Bands"

CEO Sanghee Park, Master of Chemistry and Doctor of Public Health
Smartbands Aid in Preventing Industrial Site Accidents

Safety, health, and environment specialist company Chemtopia launched a smart band on the 7th that can prevent heat-related illness accidents that may occur at work sites during the summer. The smart band can monitor blood pressure, heart rate, electrocardiogram, skin temperature, oxygen saturation, and perceived temperature indicators in hot environments. It also provides GPS-based location information, enabling quick response when accidents occur involving workers engaged in high-risk tasks or elderly individuals participating in public work projects by local governments. Since heatstroke is included under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, and workplaces face penalties if three or more patients occur within a year or even one death occurs, this device helps prevent industrial site accidents.

Kemtopia released a smart band on the 7th and a worker biometric monitoring mobile application linked to it.
[Photo by Kemtopia]

Located in Guro Digital Complex, Chemtopia started in 2002 as a chemical substances and environmental consulting company. CEO Sanghee Park, who holds a master's degree in chemistry and a doctorate in public health, worked as a chemical substance review committee member at the National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment from 1997 to 2002 before deciding to start the company. The role was to inform companies whether chemical substances contained toxicity and whether they could be used in Korea. Park said, "American and European companies invest heavily in launching chemical substances, so when bringing them into Korea or Asia, they look for experts. I was connected because people who can handle chemical substances are needed." Chemtopia manages a database of 220,000 chemical substance regulations and data.

While verifying the safety of chemical substances, the company naturally turned its attention to safety, health, and environment in work environments. For the past three years, it has expanded its business with smart services utilizing drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). Drones collect and analyze ground and high-altitude samples to manage air pollutants emitted from workplaces. The mobile TBM (Tool Box Meeting) service launched in June is also a result focused on site safety. Before work begins, safety managers and workers conduct and share risk assessments for hazardous tasks so that workers can review them. Park explained, "When people live well, it goes beyond safety to health. As Korea has become prosperous, it is time to pay attention to safety and health. I think we inevitably have to go the smart service route."

Park positively evaluated laws such as the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the Chemical Substances Control Act (Chemicals Control Act), and the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals (Chemicals Registration Act). He said, "In the past, CEOs rarely mentioned safety, but now they do, so I believe the law has done its job, and awareness is changing. Nothing is more precious than human life, so companies must take care of safety, environment, and health."

Sanghee Park, CEO of Chemtopia

However, he pointed out that standards changing with each government need improvement. Regulations change every time the government changes, to the extent that foreign companies ask, "Is this really being enforced?" There have been cases where preparations for regulations were completed but then delayed. The current government also classifies the Chemicals Control Act and Chemicals Registration Act as "killer regulations" that hinder corporate investment. Park stated, "The logic behind the law has not changed since it was first made, but it keeps changing, lacking consistency. Safety, environment, and health should not be handled with political logic but should be applied as exceptions."

Chemtopia’s mid- to long-term goal is to go public. Starting in 2002 by renting a single room in his mother’s house with one employee, Chemtopia has grown to about 100 employees. Last year’s sales were 15.7 billion KRW. Park said, "As the only consulting company integrating IT, we develop solutions based on domain knowledge and aim to expand into smart services. We believe this is what Chemtopia can do well. We need to deliver results, but we are preparing to go public within three years."

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