Five supermarket chains works together for OSH

KOSHA signs with them to boost safety and health of 80,000 workers of 400 markets

24^th July

President Hun-ki Baek of KOSHA signed MOU on creating a safe mart, with the top five supermarket chains in Korea, E-mart, Home-plus, Lotte mart, Hanaro-club and E-land retail, on 24^th July, at EL tower in Seoul, as part of its effort to reduce accidents for mart workers.

<Summary of the MOU>

    date: 24, July 2012

    time: A.M. 11:00

    venue: first basement of EL Tower at Yang-jae dong, Seo-cho gu, Seoul

    participants: President Hun-ki Baek from KOSHA, representatives from E-mart, Home-plus, Lotte mart, Hanaro-club, E-land retail

According to the statistics on occupational accidents, Wholesale and Retail Sale of Household Equipment Maintenance and Repair Service is witnessing rising accident recently.

Workplace with over 100 workers in the Wholesale and Retail Sale of Household Equipment Maintenance and Repair Service recorded 123 cases of accidents, increased by 30 cases year-on-year.

People working at the mart are easily exposed to varicose vein as they are working stand for a long time. Also, possibility of suffering from musculoskeletal disorder is high for them dealing with heavy loads. Other frequent accidents are trips and crashes.

Considering all of these, KOSHA jointly cooperate with the top five marts through accident prevention agreement as part of its efforts to prevent accidents in the service sector.

Once the MOU takes effect, those five chains set up a comprehensive safety and health management system together with their partners, through KOSHA’s support.

Further they receive technology materials and training service from KOSHA to prevent illnesses caught from standing and dealing with heavy loads. The big markets’ partners, whose employees are less than 50 also get financial assistance to improve working environment, after KOSHA’s evaluation.

President Baek said that these efforts would help some 86,000 workers at around 400 marts run by the top five conglomerates, to improve workers’ safety and health, adding that he expects to witness enhanced OSH level in the service sector. End.