[New Jobs] Watch and Watch Again, Run and Run Again... Safety Monitoring Team Preventing Industrial Accidents

Safety Monitoring Team Identifying Hazards at Construction Sites
Increased Corporate Demand After Serious Accident Punishment Act Passed
Easy to Find Jobs but Physically and Mentally Demanding Roles

Editor's NoteWith super-aging and ultra-low birth rates, along with the advent of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, new changes are occurring in the world of jobs. We introduce the world of new jobs that open paths for new challenges in working life or a second act in life.

Construction and industrial sites are dangerous places even for experienced workers. This is especially true for facilities handling industrial gases, machinery, and flammable materials. Last year alone, the cumulative number of industrial accident deaths was 598, meaning about 600 lives are threatened annually.

For this reason, many companies today hire 'Safety Monitoring Teams.' These teams are on the front lines of site safety, visually inspecting and monitoring the numerous hazards scattered throughout construction and industrial sites.

Directly Identifying Hazards at Construction Sites

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Asia Economy DB]

The Safety Monitoring Team's role is to 'prevent industrial accidents at construction and industrial sites in advance and minimize damage.' They go to work alongside frontline workers at construction and industrial sites, actively searching for and eliminating hazards on foot while other workers are working.

This role differs slightly from the 'Safety and Health Management Officer (Safety Manager),' who is responsible for overseeing and managing workplace safety. While safety managers are professional technicians who have obtained a nationally certified industrial safety engineer qualification and have worked in related industries for over 10 years, the Safety Monitoring Team members act as the eyes and feet of managers directly on site.

Their duties are very diverse. They check for hazards by inspecting equipment, pipes, and steel structures within the facility, observe whether other workers are working safely, and proactively remove fire hazards on site.

Relatively Easy to Find Jobs, but Both Body and Mind Are Busy

In construction and industrial sites, safety monitoring teams assist professional managers.
[Image source=Goyang-si]

Since no special qualifications are required, there is the advantage of relatively easy job acquisition. Especially after the Serious Accident Punishment Act was enacted in 2021, the demand for Safety Monitoring Teams in companies has surged.

For construction sites above a certain scale, Safety Monitoring Teams are invariably deployed as subcontractors, and job postings can often be found on part-time job portals and similar sites.

However, the Safety Monitoring Team is by no means an easy job. They must learn and familiarize themselves with numerous hazards depending on the diverse industrial sites. Sometimes, they have to 'point out' unsafe working methods to workers. In other words, it is a role where both the body and mind are busy.

Physical strength and patience are also essential. Mr. A, in his 20s, who was deployed as a Safety Monitoring Team member at a construction site, said, "It is a job where you have to walk and search all day long. It might seem easy because you are just walking while others work hard, but at a site of a certain scale, like a semiconductor factory, walking 40,000 to 50,000 steps a day is normal. If you approach it thinking it’s an easy part-time job, you won’t last even a month," he warned.

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