KOSHA Gyeongnam East Branch Installs Manhole Warning Signs in Gimhae, Miryang, and Yangsan

Strengthening Measures to Prevent Suffocation Accidents
Manhole Warning Signs Installed in Gimhae, Miryang, and Yangsan
Agency Collaborates with Local Partners to Enhance Workplace Safety

The Gyeongnam East Branch of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (headed by Shim Yeonseop) announced on September 4 that it has completed attaching manhole warning signs at 77 locations in the Gimhae, Miryang, and Yangsan areas to prevent suffocation death accidents in confined spaces such as manholes, which have occurred frequently over the past three years in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions.

These warning signs were created based on ideas from agency employees. Special road marking materials were applied around the manhole covers to enhance visibility so that workers can easily notice them whenever they enter or exit. Additionally, a semicircular design was used to intuitively convey the message that "work can only be performed safely in spaces where ventilation and measurement have been completed." This approach aims to prevent suffocation accidents and naturally remind workers of essential safety rules such as ventilation and measurement.

To select the target sites for this initiative, the agency first identified workplaces with wastewater treatment facilities in its jurisdiction. It then collaborated with the Yangsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Gyeongnam Provincial Government, the city governments of Gimhae, Miryang, and Yangsan, the Gimhae Urban Development Corporation, the Miryang Facility Management Corporation, Isan Co., Ltd., and other regional partner organizations to designate locations where confined space work is frequent and workers can easily spot the warning signs.

As a result, manhole warning signs have been installed at wastewater treatment facilities and sewage, wastewater, and excreta treatment plants in the Gimhae, Miryang, and Yangsan areas, where the risk of suffocation accidents is high, and this is expected to have a tangible preventive effect.

Shim Yeonseop, head of the branch, stated, "When a suffocation accident occurs in a confined space, it can easily lead to a major disaster. With the installation of these warning signs, I hope that businesses and workers will strictly adhere to safety rules and create a safe working environment free of accidents."

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency's Gyeongnam East Branch is attaching manhole warning signs at 77 locations in the Gimhae, Miryang, and Yangsan areas to prevent suffocation accidents in confined spaces such as manholes.