This time, the Minister personally inspects industrial accident sites... to prevent entrapment in manufacturing industry

On the 28th, Field Inspection Day: Over 3,000 Manufacturing Sites with Fewer Than 30 Employees Inspected

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] An Kyung-duk, Minister of Employment and Labor, has conducted an on-site inspection to prevent industrial accident incidents in the manufacturing industry. This was in line with the schedule of the 'On-site Inspection Day,' involving over 1,800 personnel nationwide.

On the morning of the 28th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that Minister An visited a manufacturing company in Seoul to check the status of prevention measures against entrapment accidents. On the first On-site Inspection Day held on the 14th, Vice Minister Park Hwa-jin conducted an inspection of fall accidents in the construction industry, and this time Minister An took the lead. Along with Minister An, about 1,800 industrial safety and health inspectors from the Ministry, personnel from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and over 500 private accident prevention organizations nationwide participated.

The purpose is to raise awareness among small business owners about industrial accident risks. Since the main causes of accidents and inspection items are usually similar, the message is that accidents can be sufficiently prevented with proper precautions.

According to an analysis released last year by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, among 272 fatal entrapment accidents in manufacturing from 2016 to 2019, 81.7% were caused by the absence of protective devices, misidentification by nearby workers, and sudden machine operation. The Ministry of Employment and Labor believes that preventing these causes alone can reduce accidents by over 80%, and plans to focus inspections on these items.

This inspection will check ▲ whether protective devices such as covers and fences are installed ▲ whether machines are always shut down during maintenance and repair work ▲ whether lockout measures are taken to prevent other workers from operating machines under maintenance or repair. Additionally, it will verify if rear confirmation measures such as forklift reverse alarms are properly implemented and whether heatstroke prevention rules are being followed.

Before the inspection, Minister An emphasized, "Most entrapment accidents in manufacturing can be prevented by following basic safety rules such as installing protective devices, stopping machines during maintenance, and posting warning signs." He urged company officials, "Given the exceptional heatwave situation, please avoid outdoor work during the hottest hours and protect workers' health by providing appropriate rest and hydration."

On the On-site Inspection Day on the 14th, in which Vice Minister Park participated, inspections of fall hazards at 3,545 construction sites nationwide resulted in correction requests for 2,448 sites (69.1%).