The Korea Employers Federation held the 2nd Industrial Safety Forum for Major Accident Prevention on the 19th at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, with safety executives from 18 major companies across various industries and experts from academia participating.
[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Concerns have been raised that the Serious Accident Punishment Act (Serious Accident Act), scheduled to be enforced on the 27th of this month, contains many parts open to arbitrary interpretation by the government and conflicts with existing laws.
On the 19th, Professor Jinwoo Jeong of Seoul National University of Science and Technology expressed these concerns while presenting "Issues of the Serious Accident Punishment Act from a Safety Management Perspective and Workplace Management Measures" at the 2nd Serious Accident Prevention Industrial Safety Forum hosted by the Korea Employers Federation (KEF) at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Professor Jeong stated, "The ambiguity of the Serious Accident Punishment Act is very large, and there are many parts where arbitrary interpretation by the government regarding the obligated subjects and methods of fulfilling obligations can prevail."
He particularly pointed out, "It is unclear who exactly is responsible for fulfilling the prevention obligations. It is ambiguous who should be the management responsible person and, in cases where the entities managing or operating the workplace differ, who should fulfill the prevention obligations."
The second presenter, Professor Seonggyu Kang of Gachon University Gil Hospital, anticipated confusion in corporate sites as the scope of recognition for occupational diseases expands under the Serious Accident Act. Professor Kang emphasized, "Since not all diseases recognized as occupational accidents correspond to serious industrial accidents, confirming causality is important."
At the forum, Samsung Display shared its preparation cases. Samsung Display announced that it has established specialized personnel training for risk assessment, set standards for safety and health budget management, and procedures for listening to workers' opinions as key activities for serious accident prevention. It also guarantees the right to stop work when there is a risk of accidents.
Additionally, it revealed efforts to secure safety and health management systems for partner companies and promote win-win cooperation, such as building a safety management cost verification system during subcontract contracts and promoting the "Making a Safe Display Manufacturing Site" campaign through business agreements with the relevant district offices.
Lee Donggeun, Executive Vice President of KEF, stated, "After the full enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, many disputes and confusion are expected regarding the application of the law to workplaces where serious industrial accidents occur." He added, "There is a need for clear improvement of laws and systems so that individual companies can focus on safety investment, and government safety support projects should be significantly expanded."
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