Gyeongnam Food Service Workers Receive 'First Ever by Local Government' Lung Cancer Screening Support

by Lee Seryeong

Published 26 Apr.2023 14:45(KST)

Updated 07 Aug.2025 14:01(KST)

Precision Diagnosis Consulting for Kitchen Ventilation Systems

Gyeongsangnam-do is the first local government to support lung cancer screening for cooking staff under its jurisdiction and to promote detailed ventilation system diagnostics consulting.

According to a recent announcement by the Ministry of Education, among 24,065 school meal workers from 14 metropolitan and provincial offices of education, 31 people, or 0.13%, were diagnosed with lung cancer following screening.

Gyeongnam Province announced on the 26th that it is promoting this project to protect the health of cooking staff.

The screening targets all 93 cooking staff under the province’s jurisdiction, and low-dose lung CT scans, which expose patients to less radiation than regular CT scans, will be provided to 83 people excluding 10 who do not wish to undergo screening.

In accordance with the safety and health management policy that prioritizes the safety and health of affiliated workers, the screening criteria of the Ministry of Employment and Labor for those aged 55 or older or with more than 10 years of work experience will be expanded so that screening can be conducted regardless of age or work experience.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office. <br>Photo by Lee Seryeong

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

At the provincial government office, the Human Resources Development Institute, and the provincial Geochang College, detailed diagnostics of kitchen ventilation facilities will be conducted.

The detailed diagnostics will be based on the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s guidelines for installing ventilation equipment in school meal kitchens and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency’s technical guidelines on ventilation for group meal facilities.

According to the consulting results, places requiring improvement will have customized on-site ventilation facility improvement measures established to improve the working environment so that meal service workers can work safely and healthily.

Jung Seol-hwa, Director of the Major Accident Prevention Division, said, “We will strive to spread the project contents for creating a safe and healthy workplace for cooking staff under the province’s jurisdiction to cities and counties within the province, so that a culture of health management and working environment improvement for cooking staff can expand.”