Gyeongnam Province Leads in Major Accident Prevention and Preparedness... Distributes On-Site Customized Casebook

Efforts to Minimize On-Site Confusion Following the Expanded Application of the Jungcheobeop

Gyeongsangnam-do is taking focused support measures, including the distribution of casebooks, to minimize confusion at workplaces in the province and assist with safety management following the expanded enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

On the 6th, Gyeongnam Province announced support measures related to the full enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act at the provincial government press center.

According to the announcement, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which previously applied to workplaces with 50 or more regular employees, has been expanded this year to include small and medium-sized enterprises with 5 to fewer than 50 employees.

As a result, the number of workplaces subject to the Act in Gyeongnam increased by a total of 46,607, from the original 3,385 to 49,992.

Yoon Seong-hye, Head of the Provincial Safety Department of Gyeongnam Province, is announcing the province's support measures following the expanded application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

The province has created and distributed the nation’s first casebook of exemplary safety management companies to help business owners quickly understand the purpose and concepts of the Act and establish safety and health management systems.

The casebook contains actual examples of safety and health management system establishment from companies that received excellent certification for serious accident prevention and industrial safety awards last year.

Currently, the casebook for companies related to manufacturing, Gyeongnam’s main industry, has been completed, and it will be expanded as excellent cases from other industries are identified.

The province will also create and share a safety and health management system guidebook for small-scale businesses such as restaurants, cafes, and bakeries.

It was produced based on the safety and health management system establishment cases and experiences of the provincial government’s cafeteria, where the Serious Accidents Punishment Act was applied first, so it can be immediately applied to actual small-scale workplaces.

Excellent Company Casebook for Occupational Safety and Health Management System in Gyeongsangnam-do. [Provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Each casebook can be viewed on the provincial government’s website, and a shortcut guide window will be created and displayed on the homepage within this week.

This year, the province will increase the number of Gyeongnam Labor Safety and Health Guardians by 20 from last year, having them visit a total of 80 workplaces directly.

The Guardians, composed of 20 private safety management experts, will inspect hazardous and dangerous factors, conduct risk assessments, and grasp the actual safety management status at each workplace, providing free consultations and guidance on solutions as a one-stop service for serious accident prevention.

In addition, Gyeongsangnam-do plans to conduct the visiting serious accident prevention school, first implemented nationwide last year, as customized courses separated by industry characteristics such as manufacturing and construction.

The focus is on increasing educational participation opportunities by visiting industrial complexes densely populated with similar industries like manufacturing, and places where many businesses gather such as the Professional Construction Association and the Mechanical Equipment Association.

Education will be conducted both online and offline to enhance understanding of the legal system and terminology.

Furthermore, safety management standard manuals will be distributed to public transportation companies such as intercity buses, and native-speaking safety and health interpretation instructors will be supported for companies employing foreign workers.

Support Measures for Establishing Safe Workplaces in Workplaces with Five or More Employees in Gyeongsangnam-do.
[Image provided by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Yoon Seong-hye, Director of the Provincial Safety Department, said, “Establishing a safety and health management system is a specialized field, so it is not easy to create perfect support measures all at once, but we will steadily prepare support measures while listening to voices from the field.”

“Gyeongnam has companies engaged in various fields such as manufacturing, agriculture, and forestry, so the probability of serious accidents occurring is not low,” she said. “Let us actively apply for on-site diagnosis such as consulting and the serious accident prevention school to work together to prevent unfortunate incidents at workplaces.”

She added, “Each casebook is detailed and easy to follow so that safety and health management can be naturally implemented just by following it, so although it may be somewhat cumbersome, I hope workplaces will definitely take care of it for the safety of their employees and their families.”

The number of serious accidents in Gyeongnam last year was 54, five fewer than the 59 cases in 2022.

The number of deaths also decreased by five from 57 in 2022 to 52.

Gyeongsangnam-do plans to support all companies in the province, including those with five or more employees, to establish safe workplaces.

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