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[Message from President] Let's open a new chapter of OSH History in Korea 2017.01.24
Author : KOSHA

Let's open a new chapter of OSH History in Korea


Dear colleagues in KOSHA!

The new sun of 2017 has risen. I wish you all the best for your family and future endeavors. I hope KOSHA would fly higher as its' celebrating 30th anniversary.

This year is the year of scarlet rooster. The consumer behavior analysis center in Seoul National University designates ‘Chicken Run’ as the key word of Korea in 2017. Chicken Run, which is the title of an animation movie, means ‘where there is will, there is a way.' Like the main character of the movie, a rooster who believes that a chicken can fly with constant exercises, I wish all of you could accomplish your personal goals in this year of scarlet rooster.

It is expected that we would have another gloomy year with lower economic growth rate in the middle of uncertainty. According to domestic economic research institutes, the ICT, automobile, steel and machinery industries are expected to enter the phase of recovery. However, it was predicted that the growth of construction and petrochemical industries would be slow down. And the recession of shipbuilding industry seems to be continued for some time. It is also estimated that the economic growth rate would be low, around 2%.

The expected economic insecurity and uncertainty may bring negative impacts to business performance and corporate OSH management, and it may possibly result in deterioration of prevention activities on occupational injuries and illnesses.

 

Dear Colleagues!

Our target in this year is reaching 0.47in accident fatality rate per 10,000 workers. KOSHA should provide utmost support to overcome the expected challenges in the OSH area by strengthening future growth potential and capacity to effectively respond the OSH needs in our society.

On the very first day of our journey in this year, I would like to share a few important points we have to promote to achieve our management objectives.


First, establish an effective preventative system for major and chemical accident.

As social needs on safety and health become greater, more people concern about accidents in the industrial areas. In this sense, we need to prevent such accidents by concentrating our capacities on establishing more effective prevention system.

In this year, we will implement the ‘Intensified Management of Hazardous Works’ for 22 dangerous process in the construction industry. For a public construction project which worth more than 30 billion Korean won, “construction safety indices” such as occupational accident rates and fatality rate per 10,000 workers will be used as examining criteria for comprehensive evaluation of public bidding system, to enhance the level of autonomous OSH management in the construction area.

We will do more reviews on harm and hazard prevention plans and following inspections. In case of newly established or relocated work places, we will provide consultations starting from its planning stage, to secure safety and health. We will enhance actual adaptability of the Process Safety Management Report to prevent major industrial accidents such as fire and explosion.

We will develop a comprehensive supporting system for drafting the process management report, assessing and managing risks and operating hazard alert system in case of emergency, based on IT technology. We will also provide intensified technical supports for dangerous operations such as maintenance and repair works, which are frequent all year round, by visiting workplaces during those operation upon request.

We will preemptively check industrial installations which are vulnerable to natural disasters and develop a system to provide necessary technical supports, in order to respond effectively to natural disasters, such as earthquake, which is quite often these days.

Second, strengthen OSH preventative activities on work related injuries, diseases and fatalities for vulnerable groups of people.
There are many vulnerable groups of people who are working in the blind zone, where it lacks appropriate attention from national OSH authorities. We have to play a leading role to support them, not letting them be left behind in the development on OSH in our society.

Above all, we should develop a social safety and health net through financial support programs and reduce the gap on OSH. We should improve the support mechanism of ‘the clean workplace project’ by providing items which are more directly related to prevent work related injuries and illnesses. We also increase budget to support small construction sites of which its’ construction cost is less than 2 billion Korean won. We will increase the budget for working environment measurement and costs supporting on special health examination projects, to provide benefits to more workplace and workers.

We will strengthen prevention activities on service jobs, such as cooks and deliverers, from which lots of accidents happen, and continue to provide basic safety and health training for daily hired aged workers. We will collaborate with other agencies to provide systematic OSH training for migrant workers.

Third, strengthen foundation for self-autonomous OSH management system in workplace.
We can't secure decent OSH working conditions in all workplace in Korea solely on our own efforts. We should support workplace to establish their own safety and health system by themselves.

To realize it, we will strengthen the collaboration and coexistence mechanism to make a main contractor to take care more about the OSH conditions of the workers who work for their sub-contractors. In this year, we will expand the scope of consultations on assessing OSH management level to shipbuilding industry, in addition to already existing manufacturing and service industries, to enhance the effectiveness of the program.

To enhance autonomous hazardous risk management capacity of workers and management, we will expand the beneficiaries of the risk assessment consulting service, down to workplace hiring less than 50 employees. We will set a higher goal of the project which supports workplace to develop OSH management system to complete their own OSH system by themselves, by recognizing safety and health as one of their core value for corporate management. And, we will reorganize the recognition system in preparation for the official publishment of the international certification standard, ISO 45001.

Fourth, activate workers' health promotion and work environment improvement projects.
To protect workers from intoxicating diseases, KOSHA will carry out a project on 'Notifying Hazardous Features of Chemical Substances’, targeting 40,000 companies which use chemicals. We will enhance the level of promoting workers' health by adopting ‘Enterprise Health Promotion Index’ and providing consultations.

We will additionally open health-zones for workers with no accessibility to health care centers due to its geographical location. For workers with higher risks of suffering from so called “emotional labor”, we will create and provide occupational health guideline and consultation.

Fifth, disseminate national safety and health culture more widely and establish a collaboration mechanism on OSH.
We will enrich safety and health training programs by providing learner-customized training and specialized curriculum, and opening more hands-on OSH training centers.

We will enhance practicality by providing experience-based training program through virtual reality, developing OSH materials using new media such as KOSHA application, and strengthening OSH media supply network.

We will develop a cooperative system on OSH by organizing safety and health leader groups for major industries, such as shipbuilding, construction, steel, automobile, and chemical industries, organizing regional OSH committee, and operating safety and health public contests.

Last but not least, strengthen R&D on OSH and upgrade infrastructure on international cooperation.
We should prepare to response effectively to the future changes of OSH situations. We should find ways to recognize, analyze and control risks by expanding technical, managerial, and psychological researches on new risk factors arising from new technology, new production and construction method, new industry, etc. We should monitor more closely on OSH issues causing from social transitions by working environment inspections, research on OSH trends and preventative measures on occupational diseases.

We will closely pay attention to social health issues in Korea such as fatal toxicity caused by inhalation of vaporized sterilizers used for humidifier, doing more tests and researches on chronic toxicity caused by inhalation of vaporized chemicals. And, we will strengthen global collaboration infrastructure on OSH, by enhancing technical cooperation with advanced oversea OSH organizations and contributing to developing countries on various OSH technical agenda.

 

Dear colleagues!

We should know what actually happen in workplace, to make fruitful outcomes with the projects mentioned above. What they need and how we support them effectively, to make changes and produce actual outcomes. For this, we should listen to voices of employers and workers, and work and study together with them in order to find out necessities in field.

Mahatma Gandhi said 'the future depends on what we do at present.' We cannot sure of our OSH future in coming next 10 to 20 years, with the same practices we did in the past. We should prepare our future strategies with creativity and open mind-set. This year is the 30th anniversary of KOSHA.

As we are celebrating this meaningful 30th anniversary, KOSHA will declare new OSH vision & strategies, which will illuminate the future of KOSHA and also the future of OSH in Korea.

We are well aware that strategy alone could hardly make success. Your participation and enthusiasm must be followed. It is not a matter of few number of colleagues. All of us should work together to brighten our future.

To make changes, the biggest challenge is not figuring out something entirely new.
The biggest challenge is getting away from the old traditional framework.
When you change the way you think, you can change the way you work.

It is said that ordinary people are obsessed of proving that they are not doing something wrong, mostly in negative manners. Extra-ordinary person are always looking bright side of the future in an active manner. All of you are special and brilliant. I’m expecting your passion on the OSH works.

 

Dear colleagues in KOSHA!

Let's be confident and optimistic. Your resolution can change the future of safety and health in Korea. We can accomplish any goal, if we work together as one.

Let’ go together confidently.
And, let's open a new chapter of OSH history in Korea.

I am looking forward to seeing you all promoting safety and health in workplace, like a leader of a Korean traditional farmers’ band who is rhythmically and excitedly leading the music.

I wish your every success and happiness in 2017, in your personal life and at work, and also wish safety and health in your family.
Thank you very much.

January 2, 2017

 

Lee, Young-Soon

President of Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency

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