No Safety Negligence in Nowon-gu

Implementation of Safety and Health Education for All Construction Stakeholders of Previous Orders and Establishment of an Integrated Safety and Health Management System for Major Accidents

Safety and Health Education Focused on Small-scale Construction Site Accidents in Preparation for the Expansion of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act Next Year

Guidance Provided to a Total of 163 Companies Involved in All Construction Works and Services Promoted by the District

June 15, 2-5 PM, Education with Professor Lee Yeon-su from Hoseo University’s Department of Safety Administration Engineering at Nowon District Office Auditorium

Last Month, Established the ‘Nowon-gu Major Accident Safety and Health System’... Integrated Safety and Health Management of District-related Facilities and Workplaces

Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will conduct safety and health education for all stakeholders involved in construction works (services) commissioned by the district to prevent major accidents and construction safety incidents.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which came into effect in January last year, stipulates penalties for employers, management officials, public officials, and corporations who violate safety and health obligations causing casualties. Until now, there has been a grace period during which workplaces with fewer than 50 regular employees or construction sites with contracts under 5 billion KRW were exempt from the law’s application, but this grace period will end in January next year.

Accordingly, the district has decided to conduct education focusing on accidents at small-scale construction sites newly subject to the law. This aims to reduce confusion on-site and create a safety and health environment where workers take the lead.

In particular, starting this year, the scope has been expanded to include all construction works and services promoted by the district, providing education to stakeholders from a total of 163 contracting companies. The education will be held on the 15th from 2 PM to 5 PM at the Nowon District Office auditorium.

Professor Lee Yeon-su from Hoseo University’s Department of Safety Administration Engineering, who has 34 years of experience working at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, will be invited as the instructor to emphasize the importance of safety and health and to review safety rules for various types of accidents such as falls, drops, collapses, and electric shocks.

Last month, the district established the ‘Nowon-gu Major Accident Safety and Health System’ within its internal administrative system to enable integrated safety and health management of directly operated and commissioned facilities, construction, and service workplaces. This system digitizes and integrates previously separately managed safety and health trends. Facility and construction managers are required to submit daily checklists and review accident cases and notices related to major accidents to raise awareness.

Using the established system, the district has been inspecting compliance with major accident safety and health obligations at a total of 428 facilities since the 30th of last month. Alongside self-inspections by all departments (dong), the Major Accident Team conducts on-site inspections focusing on ▲whether deficiencies identified in the second half of last year have been addressed ▲heatwave preparedness ▲implementation of safety management plans for public-use facilities (major citizen accident facilities).

On the 12th, inspections of the sanitation workers’ break room and parks revealed deficiencies such as incomplete fire extinguisher management logs (inspection sheets), absence of heavy object handling caution signs and MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), and the need to replace old multi-outlet power strips and organize wiring cables, which were requested to be remedied.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, stated, “Since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act will apply to small-scale construction sites starting next year, we have prepared education for all stakeholders involved in construction works promoted by the district to minimize confusion. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our residents and carefully monitor the situation so that everyone can feel secure.”