The Only One Among 17 Education Offices... In Gwangju, Industrial Accident Tasks Fall Solely on Teachers

Gwangju Assigns Industrial Safety Duties to Teachers and Vice Principals, Unlike Other Regions
Concerns Rise Over Increased Workload, Lack of Expertise, and Internal Conflicts Among School Staff

It has been revealed that the Gwangju Office of Education is assigning industrial safety and health duties to teachers and vice principals. Unlike the other 16 metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide, Gwangju is the only one not outsourcing these tasks to external professional agencies, leading to increasing burdens and complaints among school staff.

On the 9th, the Gwangju Teachers' Union stated, "The prevention and response to industrial accidents require expertise, yet the Gwangju Office of Education is assigning these duties to frontline teachers, vice principals, and administrative staff," and insisted, "These tasks should be immediately outsourced to qualified professional agencies."

Gwangju Office of Education building.

According to data released by the Gwangju Teachers' Union, 16 metropolitan and provincial offices of education, including Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, have established 'Industrial Accident Prevention Teams' in accordance with the Industrial Safety and Health Act. They are outsourcing specialized tasks such as hazard factor investigations and risk assessments to external professional agencies, with budgets ranging from 1 million to 5.5 million won. In contrast, Gwangju is the only region that does not allocate any budget for this purpose and instead divides the related duties among school staff.

The Industrial Safety and Health Act stipulates the prevention and compensation of industrial accidents for workers who are not teachers or public officials, such as school cleaning, facility management, and kitchen staff. However, in Gwangju, teachers and administrative staff are being forced to handle these practical tasks, leading to internal conflicts. Teachers express their reluctance, stating, "These duties require expertise and are not mandatory by law," and both vice principals and administrative staff are reportedly also pushing back against the assignments.

The Gwangju Teachers' Union stated, "Since the Gwangju Office of Education is the last in the country to introduce outsourcing, this is an opportunity to build the most complete outsourcing system," and added, "If necessary, we will also launch a signature campaign among school principals."