SMBC and KOSHA Join Hands to Prevent Industrial Accidents in SMEs

Cooperation on Serious Accident Prevention Vouchers and Employer Training

The Small and Medium Business Corporation announced on November 20 that it had signed a "business agreement for the prevention of industrial accidents and the spread of safety culture in small and medium venture businesses" with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency at the Seoul Metropolitan Headquarters of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency in Jung-gu, Seoul.

Jinju Headquarters of the Small and Medium Business Administration, Gyeongnam. Small and Medium Business Administration

The two organizations will link manufacturing innovation support with industrial safety and health education programs to help prevent industrial accidents and create safer working environments for small and medium venture businesses. The Small and Medium Business Corporation will strengthen the provision of Serious Accident Prevention Vouchers and the integration of safety and health education within its training programs. Meanwhile, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency will operate employer training for the Industrial Accident Prevention Rate System and provide specialized content related to industrial accident prevention.

The Serious Accident Prevention Voucher is a program operated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small and Medium Business Corporation to support the establishment of safety and health management systems for manufacturing small and medium businesses. After receiving consulting, manufacturing SMEs can receive technical support such as building safety facilities and producing prototypes. Depending on the size of their sales, companies can use consulting and technical support for serious accident prevention in the form of vouchers, with subsidy rates ranging from 40% to 80%, up to a maximum of 50 million won per company. From last year to the present, a total of 6.7 billion won in serious accident prevention vouchers have been issued to 149 companies.

The Industrial Accident Prevention Rate System employer training is an educational program conducted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency for business owners in the manufacturing industry with fewer than 50 employees. If business owners complete four hours of safety and health education and submit an industrial accident prevention plan, they are eligible for a 10% reduction in industrial accident insurance premiums for one year.

Ban Jeongsik, Director of Regional Innovation at the Small and Medium Business Corporation, stated, "With the Serious Accident Punishment Act being expanded to workplaces with five or more but fewer than 50 employees, the management burden on manufacturing SMEs is increasing. We will continue to provide support to ease the burden on companies and raise the level of safety and health."

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