Kim Hyunjung: "We Will Lead the Way in Creating Safe Workplaces"
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) announced on the 11th that they are operating safety experience training centers where workers can safely experience hazardous machinery from actual workplaces to enhance the effectiveness of industrial accident prevention. They also revealed plans to strengthen experiential training targeting foreign workers and young people to reduce industrial accidents.
Trainees are experiencing a virtual fire and explosion safety simulation using virtual reality (VR) at the Yeosu Safety Experience Education Center of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Photo by Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency
The safety experience training centers provide safety and health education through experiential and practical methods where learners become the protagonists based on industrial accident stories occurring in the field. KOSHA has been operating these safety experience training centers since 1997. Currently, there are four centers located in Jecheon, Damyang, Yeosu, and Iksan, and an additional center is scheduled to reopen this year in Incheon.
The safety experience training centers nationwide support ▲industrial safety and health ▲electrical, mechanical, and equipment safety ▲virtual safety (VR) ▲first aid experience, among others. Each center has its own characteristics, reflecting the features of local industries or specializing in specific experiential fields. For example, Yeosu, which hosts an industrial complex based on the petrochemical industry, has a separate petrochemical experience center providing related experiences.
With the increasing number of foreign workers entering the country, the safety experience training centers serve as a foundation for preventing accidents among them. In August last year, about 60 foreign workers from around 10 countries participated in a pilot weekend safety experience training at the Yeosu center, indicating a growing trend in related education.
In addition to workers, education is also provided to the general public, contributing to the spread of nationwide safety education. Last year, approximately 18,000 trainees visited the training centers nationwide. This year, with companies and workers voluntarily participating, the number of trainees is expected to exceed 20,000.
KOSHA plans to continue expanding educational support for foreign workers in collaboration with related foreign organizations. They will develop additional effective educational programs and seek ways to increase course completion rates. In particular, they will strengthen customized education targeting workers in small-scale workplaces and young people to focus on industrial accident prevention.
Kim Hyun-jung, Director of KOSHA, stated, "Experiential education that allows participants to directly experience and feel with their whole body has high field applicability," adding, "We will take the lead in creating safe workplaces by expanding safety experience education not only for domestic workers but also for foreign workers."
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