Granting Investigation Authority to Industrial Safety Inspectors... Ministry of Employment to Announce Serious Accident Act Legislation in May

Report on Industrial Accident Reduction Measures to the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee on the 22nd

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-gap is attending the Industrial Accident Hearing held by the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee on the 22nd and reporting on related work. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government plans to announce the enforcement decree of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which grants investigative authority to industrial safety inspectors, for public comment in May.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reported the "2021 Plan to Reduce Industrial Accident Fatalities" at the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's industrial accident hearing and presented the legislative plan for the subordinate laws of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The plan is to prepare the enforcement decree draft next month, consult with related ministries in April, announce it for public comment in May, and have it passed at the Cabinet meeting in July. Minister Lee Jae-gap of the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "We will proceed with a sense of urgency to enact the subordinate laws by July."

At this meeting, the Ministry reported that it will push to establish the legal basis for industrial safety inspectors to investigate violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in the first half of the year. It also plans to pursue amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Act considering consistency with the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Since the "serious industrial accidents" defined in the Serious Accidents Punishment Act are also specified in the Industrial Safety and Health Act, they aim to avoid conflicts between the two laws.

Furthermore, the Ministry announced plans to establish the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters to secure organizational independence and expertise. Currently, the industrial safety and health organization operates at the "department level," but the plan is to elevate it to a headquarters.