Two Years After Serious Accident Punishment Act... SMEs Most Concerned About "Fire and Explosion"

Only 2 Out of 10 Companies Have Automatic Fire Risk Detection Systems in Place
S-1 Releases Survey Results on "Current Status and Awareness of Safety Management at SME Industrial Sites"

According to a recent survey, the accidents that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are most concerned about at industrial sites are "fire and explosion." However, it was found that only 2 out of 10 companies have an automatic fire risk detection system in place.

On April 20, S-1 released the results of a survey titled "Safety Management Status and Awareness at SME Industrial Sites." The survey was conducted from April 6 to 14 among about 20,000 companies using S-1 services, with a total of 1,337 companies responding. The survey was carried out more than two years after the Serious Accident Punishment Act was expanded to cover workplaces with five or more employees, aiming to examine the types of accidents SMEs are concerned about, operational difficulties in safety management, and potential solutions.

When asked, "Is your company well prepared with a safety response system related to the Serious Accident Punishment Act?" 68.4% of companies with over 500 employees, 64.0% of those with 50 to 500 employees, and 69.8% of those with 5 to 50 employees answered positively. However, 72.7% of companies said they were concerned about "worker casualties" at industrial sites, indicating persistent anxiety at the field level.

When asked about "the most concerning accident at industrial sites," 50.6% selected "fire and explosion" as their top choice. Including facility malfunctions such as overheating and power outages—which can lead to fires—at 27.7%, 8 out of 10 companies expressed concern about fire-related risks. Their reasons were "the high possibility of casualties" (54.2%) and "significant legal liability" (30.1%).

As measures needed to prevent fire and explosion accidents, respondents cited "fire and overheating early detection systems" (34.2%), "automatic alerts for overheating or abnormal signs" (32.0%), and "remote monitoring of fire alarm panels and sprinklers" (22.3%) in that order. This shows a high level of interest in proactive response systems that can detect risk signs early and immediately alert to abnormal situations.

However, only 20.6% responded that they "operate a fire detection system" capable of preemptively catching overheating and abnormal signs. Most sites are still limited to basic detection equipment such as smoke detectors and gas detectors, indicating that the response system does not sufficiently match the level of concern.

Regarding the difficulties experienced in operating a safety response system, 73.4% of responding companies cited "the burden of hiring and managing CCTV monitoring personnel." As for the types and operating methods of CCTV used, 70.8% said they "operate only recording-focused CCTV." The greatest difficulty in operating CCTV was "monitoring at night and on holidays" (60.0%), which was ranked as the number one challenge.

An S-1 employee is explaining the main functions of AI CCTV installed at an industrial site. S-1

An S-1 representative explained, "Recording-focused CCTV requires monitoring personnel to watch the footage directly 24 hours a day, so even a brief lapse can lead to a major accident. 'AI CCTV,' which can preemptively prevent accidents by detecting risky behaviors in real time, such as worker collapse or not wearing a safety helmet, can help reduce the burden of management during nights and holidays."

As reasons for the difficulty in upgrading safety management response systems, 42.8% of responding companies cited "cost burden." Regarding the government's "Safe Workplace Support Program," which subsidizes the adoption of safety accident prevention equipment, only 15.6% said they "know it well," while 54.1% answered "I've heard of it but don't know the details," and 30.3% said "I don't know it at all," making up a combined 84.4%. Although there are systems in place to lessen the cost burden, they are not being fully utilized.

The S-1 representative added, "While we are working to promote the dissemination of advanced response systems, we will also provide rental services to ensure costs do not become a barrier, and actively promote government support programs such as the 'Safe Workplace Support Program' at worksites."

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