The South Korean government is expanding special health checkups for female farmers to include those up to 80 years old, starting this year, in an effort to reduce safety accidents in the agricultural sector. Additionally, farms employing foreign workers will be required to submit a safety checklist to improve workplace safety conditions.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced these measures during an emergency economic meeting held at the Government Seoul Complex on June 5.
The government's decision comes in response to the persistently high rate of safety accidents in agriculture, which resulted in 297 fatalities in 2024 alone. That year, the total number of deaths and injuries in the agricultural sector reached 297 and 50,852, respectively.
To address this issue, the government aims to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in agriculture by 25% by 2030 compared to 2024 levels, targeting a decrease of 77 deaths and 12,700 injuries.
In light of inadequate safety standards for high-risk machinery, the government plans to enhance the safety of agricultural equipment. This includes allowing the conversion of existing walk-behind tractors to handle-type models and considering subsidies for scrapping outdated machinery. Furthermore, the installation of protective structures and safety belt alarms will be mandated for forklifts and excavators.
To improve safety in livestock facilities, the government will support the acquisition of safety equipment, including ventilation fans, respiratory masks, pulleys for pump replacements, and skylights through joint purchasing initiatives. Regular and mandatory inspections of safety facilities and equipment at high-risk sites, such as manure treatment facilities, will also be implemented.
Recognizing the vulnerability of female farmers and foreign workers to heat-related illnesses and agricultural accidents, the government will extend special health checkups for female farmers from age 70 to 80. Starting in the first half of this year, foreign workers and their assigned farms will be required to submit a safety checklist during visa applications to better manage vulnerable farms.
The government plans to finalize and announce detailed implementation tasks for these measures within this month. Additionally, it will review the progress of 18 improvement tasks across five key areas of the comprehensive safety management plan twice a year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.