Ministry of Employment and Labor and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Hold Meeting with Manufacturers to Respond to Expanded Enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act

Encouraging Participation in Industrial Safety Inspection
for 12 Industry Associations
Urging Expansion of Win-Win Cooperation Between Contractors and Subcontractors

The government listened to on-site difficulties in establishing a serious industrial accident prevention system in the manufacturing sector and promised related policy support.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that on the morning of the 22nd, together with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, it held a 'Manufacturing Industry Meeting for Responding to the Expanded Enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act' at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, attended by associations and organizations from 12 industries.

On that day, the two ministries informed industry representatives from sectors such as automobiles, semiconductors, steel, batteries, bio, and textiles about government support measures including the 'Industrial Safety Diagnosis' and listened to industry-specific difficulties and suggestions.

Attendees included 12 associations such as the Automobile Industry Cooperative, Shipbuilding and Offshore Plant Association, Steel Association, Semiconductor Industry Association, Display Industry Association, and Battery Industry Association.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik is delivering a greeting at the "Resolution Rally for Full Support in Preventing Serious Accidents in Small and Medium Enterprises" held at the Seoul Southern Branch of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Ryu Kyung-hee, Director of the Industrial Safety Headquarters at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said in her opening remarks, "We will mobilize all available resources to conduct an industrial safety diagnosis targeting 837,000 companies with fewer than 50 employees and to establish a safety and health management system."

She also urged, "Please actively utilize the joint safety manager support project, where employer organizations hire joint safety managers to support the establishment of safety and health management systems for their member companies."

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which was enacted in January 2022, punishes business owners or management officials when serious industrial accidents such as deaths occur, and from the 27th of last month, it has been expanded to apply to workplaces with fewer than 50 regular employees.

Lee Seung-ryeol, Director of Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "Since many core suppliers in the supply chain, such as materials, parts, equipment, and root industries, are distributed among workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, it is important to prevent risks from spreading throughout the industry. The government also needs to support companies in strengthening their capabilities to prevent serious industrial accidents and promote the spread of industrial safety win-win cooperation models between primary contractors and subcontractors."

The two ministries agreed to continue cooperating by continuously discovering policies to prevent serious industrial accidents in the future.