Dobong-gu, Based on Dobong-gu Regular Risk Assessment, 47 Departments Establish and Implement Risk Reduction Measures
Health Management Room Set Up in District Office, Employee Lounge Expanded and Reorganized
Maintenance of 1st Floor South Gate Passage... Visitors Say "Avoiding Complex Passage Reduces Hassle"
From January 27, 2024, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (hereinafter referred to as the SAPA) has been expanded and enforced. The enactment of the SAPA was triggered by the death of a subcontractor employee who died while working at a power plant in 2018. Since then, industrial accidents have continued to occur at workplaces, and social interest in safety has increased, leading to the law being enacted on January 26, 2021, three years ago, and enforced from January 27, 2022, one year later.
An official from Dobong-gu stated, “The purpose of the SAPA is prevention, not punishment,” and added, “Dobong-gu is preparing and implementing various policies, including the establishment of a dedicated team, to prevent serious industrial accidents and serious citizen accidents that may occur in construction projects commissioned by the district, ongoing projects, and public facilities.”
Dobong-gu (Mayor Oh Eon-seok) conducted a regular risk assessment in July last year. This was to identify hazardous and risky factors and the likelihood of accidents by factor at district workplaces, targeting all workers and work environments at Dobong-gu Office.
As a result, 408 hazardous and risky factors were identified, and currently, 47 departments are establishing and implementing risk reduction measures.
Along with this, the district has also undertaken improvements to the internal facilities of the district office. In September 2022, a health management room was established inside the district office, and a health manager was assigned to provide medical services to employees of Dobong-gu Office. Additionally, since May 2022, on-site health checkups (general and special) have been conducted to improve convenience and the examination rate among employees.
Furthermore, since August 18, 2022, the installation of rest facilities has been mandatory for all workplaces, and on-site inspections are being conducted for all workplaces. In June last year, the existing rest facility on the 3rd floor of the district office was remodeled reflecting employees’ requests and other considerations.
The south gate corridor on the 1st floor of the district office was also reorganized to secure the safety of residents from disasters such as fires and facility accidents. A caf? was located in the south gate corridor, which had been a constant source of complaints from visitors and residents.
People using the corridor had to endure inconveniences caused by those ordering and waiting for coffee, or sitting at tables, and accidents such as collisions or falls had to be tolerated.
Accordingly, based on Article 9 of the SAPA (Obligations of Employers and Managers to Ensure Safety and Health) and Article 10 of the Enforcement Decree of the same law (Measures for Establishing and Implementing Safety and Health Management Systems Related to Public Facilities and Public Transportation), the district established a maintenance plan for all corridors in the district office and began project implementation.
On October 31 last year, when the caf?’s usage permit expired, the district terminated the permit and carried out restoration and expansion work of the corridor by removing the existing caf? facilities. Currently, the corridor is noticeably wider, and visitors said, “We used to have to avoid people every time we used the south gate corridor, but now there is no need to do so, which is great.”
In addition, the district is also promoting various construction projects to open the 1st floor of the district office to residents. The area, which was transformed into a “Heatwave Shelter Vacation (休家)” last summer, will be redeveloped in March in cooperation with the Dobong-gu Youth Employment Support Center. Also, on one side of the 1st floor of the district office, the “Changdong Makerspace,” an institution for nurturing future talents in Dobong-gu, will be relocated. The district expects the 1st floor of the district office to become an open space for everyone regardless of age or gender.
Oh Eon-seok, Mayor of Dobong-gu, said, “The district will prevent serious accidents through regular safety inspections,” and added, “We will also actively promote education to raise safety awareness for the prevention of serious accidents so that all of us can comply with safety and health management regulations on our own.”
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