The government is set to promote the sharing of best practices in risk assessment, a key tool for preventing workplace accidents. By learning from incidents at other workplaces, the aim is to eliminate hazards proactively and involve workers in the entire process from planning to halting operations.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency will hold the '2026 Risk Assessment Best Practices Presentation Conference' on July 7 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Risk assessment is a procedure where employers work with employees to identify and improve hazardous and risky factors.
If risk assessments are merely formal paperwork, they are unlikely to prevent actual accidents. It is crucial to reveal the risks felt by workers on-site and to lead to improvements in equipment and work methods. Since 2013, the Ministry has been holding presentation conferences to discover and disseminate effective risk assessment practices.
This year, 545 workplaces participated, including 363 from manufacturing and other sectors and 182 from construction. After a four-stage evaluation process, including regional presentations and on-site assessments, 16 companies advanced to the final presentation stage.
For instance, Samyang Foods introduced a 'Proactive Response Task Force.' When a serious accident occurs at a similar workplace, the task force is activated under the supervision of the Chief Safety and Health Officer. They assess the similarities between the accident and their operations, conduct special inspections, and incorporate identified risks into their risk assessments for improvements. Since 2023, they have identified and improved 292 cases of entrapment, 194 fire hazards, and 185 fall risks.
In the construction sector, the 'POWI' model from Zai C&A was presented. POWI involves creating detailed pre-safety work plans using photos and diagrams (Pre-Safety), ensuring adherence to the plan from start to finish (One-Cycle), allowing anyone to stop work if issues arise (Work-Stop), and gathering on-site feedback to improve work methods (Interview).
Viewing accidents at other companies as relevant to their own operations is effective in reducing repeated workplace injuries. This approach allows for the identification and elimination of similar risks immediately after an incident occurs, rather than waiting for accidents to happen. Notably, this year's conference saw a significant increase in cases utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and mobile platforms.
Companies that win awards will receive certificates and cash prizes, and they will be exempt from regular safety and health inspections next year. Representatives from award-winning companies may also serve as instructors for risk assessment training in their industry. The Ministry plans to produce video training materials based on the presented cases for future risk assessment education.
Ryu Hyun-cheol, head of the Ministry's Occupational Safety and Health Bureau, stated, "For risk assessments to function effectively on-site, it is important to expand the participation of workers and to reveal and improve not only managed risks but also actual risks. We will continue to provide field-centered guidance and support to ensure that risk assessments become a practical means of preventing workplace accidents."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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