KOSHA to Provide 100% Support for Fire and Explosion Prevention Equipment Costs

Purchase Costs Up to 30 Million KRW for Ventilation Fans, Composite Gas Concentration Meters, and More

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency has launched support for disaster prevention in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees to prevent major accidents caused by fire and explosions.

Following a series of major casualties from the warehouse fire in Icheon in May and the logistics center fire in Yongin in July, the agency decided to allocate approximately 50 billion KRW from the supplementary budget for emergency support of fire and explosion prevention equipment.

The support targets small-scale workplaces with fewer than 50 regular employees that have high-risk fire and explosion operations, regardless of industry.

Up to 30 million KRW per business owner will be provided, covering 100% of the cost for purchasing prevention equipment.

This time, the support limit was increased from 20 million KRW to 30 million KRW, and the purchase cost coverage ratio was expanded from 70% to 100%. The expanded purchase cost ratio will be applied temporarily until the end of this year.

However, some workplaces are excluded from this benefit. These include companies belonging to restricted mutual investment corporate groups, public organizations, civil engineering and construction companies ranked within the top 700 in last year's construction capability evaluation, and workplaces not enrolled in or delinquent on industrial accident insurance.

Supported items include fire and explosion prevention equipment such as ventilation fans and multi-gas concentration detectors. For construction sites, additional support is provided for emergency evacuation guidance lines for temporary fire facilities.

Besides fire and explosion prevention equipment, the agency also supports up to 70% of costs for improving hazardous and dangerous factors in the workplace, such as machine and equipment protective devices. For the same business owner, support can be up to 30 million KRW.

All cost support applications can be made through the Clean Workplace Creation Support website or by visiting local frontline institutions.

Especially for construction sites where creation and demolition are repeated, applications must be made by the head office, which is responsible for management.

Park Doo-yong, Director of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, said, “As major accidents caused by fire and explosions have occurred consecutively recently, special management of workplaces with high-risk operations is necessary,” adding, “We hope that safety will be secured in more workplaces through not only support for purchasing fire and explosion prevention equipment but also technical guidance.”