"Beyond Health to Safety"... Government Explores Expansion of Worker Health Center Functions

The government has begun gathering feedback from the field to expand the functions and develop improvement plans for Worker Health Centers.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency announced on March 18 that they held a "Worker Health Center Town Hall Meeting" at the KT Daejeon Human Resources Development Center, with more than 250 participants, including the heads and staff of Worker Health Centers.

This event was organized to listen directly to voices from the field and to explore the future roles and operational direction of Worker Health Centers.

Yonhap News Agency

The Worker Health Center program started with three centers in 2011 and has now expanded to 24 centers nationwide. These centers are staffed by specialists in occupational and environmental medicine, nurses, physical therapists, industrial hygienists, and psychological counselors, supporting the health management of workers at small businesses with fewer than 50 employees, as well as special-type workers.

The event was divided into two parts: the first part was the town hall meeting, and the second part consisted of a meeting of center heads and specialized training by field. The town hall meeting, presided over by Ryu Hyuncheol, Head of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters, featured about 90 minutes of open discussion, during which participants presented diverse opinions on expanding the role of Worker Health Centers and improving their operation.

In particular, participants proposed as key tasks the need for integrated support in health and safety, differentiated services to prevent death from overwork, and the expansion of personnel and functions.

One attendee said, "It was a meaningful opportunity to share concerns and exchange ideas together with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. I hope that such opportunities for ongoing communication will continue to be provided in the future."

Ryu Hyuncheol, Head of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters, stated, "It is time for Worker Health Centers to expand beyond simple health consultations and become an integrated support system for safety and health, encompassing not only small businesses but also labor providers. We will continue to reflect on-site feedback in policy, and persistently work on expanding the centers and strengthening the support system."

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