Gyeonggi Province Implements "Occupational Safety and Health Manager Training" to Prevent Major Industrial Accidents

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae has instructed occupational safety and health managers in Gyeonggi Province to strengthen field-oriented major industrial accident prevention activities, such as directly inspecting workplaces and conducting surprise inspections.

Gyeonggi Province held statutory occupational safety and health manager training at the Provincial Government Office on the 21st.

At the training, Governor Choo Mi-ae, who participated in the education, stated, "I hope you will approach safety with action and dedication. Regardless of budget, safety is the most fundamental." She continued, "Of course, focusing on safety does not lead to great praise or high scores, nor does it shine brightly. However, the reason the province exists is to organize matters that do not shine brightly, provide guidance, and address them," she emphasized.

She further said, "When I was Minister of Justice, I applied the brakes when the National Assembly rushed to pass the Serious Accident Punishment Act, and I said that the purpose of safety is to ensure safety itself, not punishment. The intent was that detailed manuals should be prepared first, then the administration should check and supplement whether the manuals are being followed, and finally strict punishment should follow as a last resort. I also said that establishing safety management and supervision systems at the workplace and administrative systems to oversee them should be a priority task," she explained.

Governor Choo added, "Safety accidents occur not by chance, but as a result of our neglect and failure to invest resources in advance. It is not too late now. I urge you once more to look more carefully at the field and conduct surprise inspections so that you can respond systematically to the conditions at the site."

Approximately 70 people attended the training, including Governor Choo, provincial division and bureau chiefs, and heads of public institutions. This is statutory occupational safety and health manager training required under Article 32 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, designed to enhance the role and competency of occupational safety and health managers in field safety management.

The training was conducted by the Korea Industrial Safety Association, a government-designated occupational safety and health training institution designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The main contents include key provisions of the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, major accident cases and prevention measures, risk assessment and occupational safety and health management systems, and the roles of managers and workplace safety management.

Gyeonggi Province focused on not only completing the statutory training, but also fostering a safety management culture where managers and workers together improve risk factors identified at worksites, prioritizing life and safety as core values. Public institutions and institutions funded or invested by the province, which are separate mandatory compliance entities under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, are also able to take the training upon application.

Going forward, Gyeonggi Province plans to continuously improve the occupational safety and health management systems at province workplaces and to continue major industrial accident prevention activities so that the province's occupational safety and health management practices can be expanded to private workplaces as well.