Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik urges the enactment of an amendment to further postpone the application of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act to companies with fewer than 50 employees at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@
Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, expressed regret on the 25th over the failure to postpone the application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees and stated that efforts will be made to minimize confusion at the field level.
Minister Lee held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office after the failure to pass the amendment to the Serious Accident Punishment Act at the National Assembly plenary session that day, saying, "I cannot help but feel regret over the legislative setback."
He added, "The Serious Accident Punishment Act is scheduled to be fully enforced on the 27th, but the field is not yet sufficiently prepared. After visiting the sites personally, I heard from representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises that they were not even aware whether they were subject to the law, let alone having established the safety and health management system required by the law."
He continued, "To alleviate difficulties in the field, the top priority for the government is to concentrate all available resources to help companies with fewer than 50 employees quickly establish safety and health management systems," emphasizing that the government will promptly and thoroughly implement the support measures for companies vulnerable to serious accidents, announced on December 27 last year.
Specifically, starting next week, a focused period of about three months for the 'Industrial Safety Comprehensive Diagnosis' will be operated. The plan is to have all 837,000 companies with fewer than 50 employees conduct a self-assessment of their safety and health management systems.
Based on the diagnosis results and the companies' response capabilities, customized support will be provided, including consulting, education, technical guidance for establishing safety and health management systems, and financial support for facility improvements.
Minister Lee also stated, "A task force for serious accident countermeasures, involving relevant ministries and experts, will be launched promptly to monitor and improve the establishment of safety and health management systems in companies with fewer than 50 employees."
He added, "The government will do its utmost to minimize confusion in the field that may arise as the law's application expands."
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