Employment Minister Lee Jeong-sik "Preparing Plans to Revise Safety Training for Foreign Workers"

Related Measures Scheduled to Be Announced in August

Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated on the 29th that "a reform plan is being prepared to eliminate blind spots in safety education for foreign workers." This announcement comes amid growing concerns about the vulnerability of foreign workers to industrial accidents following last month's fire at the Arisel factory in Hwaseong, with a promise to introduce improvement measures.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik speaking during a visit to a workplace employing foreign workers in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province on the 29th.
[Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor]

To inspect the safety management status of foreign workers and hear opinions from the field, Minister Lee visited Good Steel Bank Co., Ltd., a mold material manufacturing company located in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, on the same day.

At the site, Minister Lee said, "The government is preparing measures to strengthen industrial safety support for foreign workers and small-scale workplaces to prevent the recurrence of large-scale serious accidents."

He added, "We are expanding support to prevent large-scale accidents such as fires and explosions, including improvements to workplace facilities to prevent fire spread. We are also considering ways to eliminate safety blind spots by providing safety education not only to workers who entered and are employed through the Employment Permit System but also to other foreign workers with different visas."

He further explained, "We plan to support focused activities such as consulting to identify, improve, and share risk factors, which are key elements of risk assessment."

Minister Lee also mentioned that he would examine and promote the exemplary case of Good Steel Bank Co., Ltd., which has recorded over 10 years of accident-free operation through its own safety management system.

Among the 47 employees at Good Steel Bank Co., Ltd., 19 are nationals of Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Philippines. The company utilizes safety education materials translated into their native languages and designates foreign employees as safety leaders to mentor new foreign staff, thereby strengthening safety management.

A Ministry of Employment and Labor official stated, "We will continue ongoing communication with the field and gather opinions from various sectors to solidly prepare government measures, including strengthening safety for foreign workers, within this month."