KOSHA will be a ‘Safety and Health Agency’ keeping in tune with the people.

My valued colleagues, employers and workers across the country and those in the safety and health industry!

As we look ahead to 2012, I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

This year is the year of the dragon. The dragon symbolizes courage, hope and soaring to new heights. I hope 2012, year of the Dragon, proves to be roaring successful year for you and your family.

This year, however, also is expected to be a difficult one.

The economic recession following the global financial crisis seems to affect all the industries.

The KOSHA, under such a circumstance, will strive to help the Korean economy recover and respond to a rapidly changing global environment by providing the best service to our customers so that workers can be safe and healthy.

In addition, KOSHA proposed four major strategies: pursuing tangible performance, realizing cooperative relationship, making creative workplace and encouraging employee’s participation-based environment all of which will help the agency achieve a new vision to be a ‘safety hub focusing on occupational accidents prevention that keeps in tune with the people.

To that end, I want to emphasize and share following ideas with you.

First, KOSHA has to concentrate on prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses in the top 3 sectors.

More than 90% of occupational injuries and illnesses are coming from the manufacturing, construction and service sectors. That’s why we have to reduce accidents in these sectors first to reach the goal of advanced nation’s rate of injury and illnesses.

As part of these efforts, KOSHA will expand fiscal support to manufacturing sector with workers less than 50 to improve the safety and health related facility with the current visiting consultation program. At the same time, the agency will strengthen monitoring, training and patrolling activities by experts with rich experience for the small scale construction site with less than 2 billion won.

KOSHA will also work hard to prevent accidents especially in the top 7 service industry including building management sector in terms of accident’s frequency. For instance, it will train employers and improve facilities by setting up the network with other organizations.

Second, KOSHA will introduce a new accident prevention program which is provided in a timely manner.

We have to provide safety and health service to workplaces when they need it most. This is the way to reduce the number of injuries and illnesses.

KOSHA will send experts to the workplace when there’s accidents within a month to analyze the causes of accidents providing seamless service to prevent it happen again through ‘Timely Technical Assistance Project’.

Also, we will lay a firm ground for the prevention of accidents by supporting customized but also comprehensive technology, education and fiscal plan for newly established workplaces.

Third, KOSHA needs to settle down independent safety and health program in the workplaces.

Many advanced countries including OECD members choose to have independent safety and health management system based on self risk assessment rather than government oriented law enforcement and regulations.

Such a trend requires us to accept a new system under which individual companies and unions can investigate and improve hazardous factors and risks on their own.

To that end, KOSHA will lay a foundation for independent safety and health management by expanding demonstration sites of the ‘Voluntary Risk Assessment Program’ which will begin from 2013.

Furthermore, the KOSHA will build the accident prevention system between parent companies and contractors through safety and health leaders’ group. At the same time, we plan to activate the workplace required to submit ‘harm and hazard prevention plan’ and expand ‘KOSHA 18001 certification’ to ensure safety before the accident.

Fourth, KOSHA will resolve preemptively sectors which are vulnerable to occupational accidents.

We witnessed the increased rate of injuries and illnesses in the transportation, warehousing, communication and other specific types of sector.

As a result, KOSHA decided to set up a comprehensive safety and health plan for sectors that experience frequent accidents such as small sized workplace, overland transport and special cargo sector to prevent disaster.

KOSHA will also investigate and set the standard of the safety and health environment for workers in the parcel service, quick delivery service, culture and art industries.

Alongside with these initiatives, the KOSHA is committed to strengthen monitoring of occupational diseases which is a social issue with increasing number of chemical materials and new technology development.

Finally, KOSHA will continue to work hard to enhance the awareness about safety and health of workers.

Today’s occupational safety and health industry requires us to not only improve facilities or equipment but also to support workers’ education and occupational health by changing the safety awareness.

Therefore, we have to develop and distribute various kinds of media program and strengthen the safety and education culture customized for each industry.

In particular, KOSHA has to respond aggressively to increasing demand for safety and health by developing and distributing safety and health application for the smart phone and content that has QR(Quick Response) code to go together with rapid spread of smart phones. 

In addition, we prepare to increase fiscal support to meet the workers’ needs to enhance their health, and to expand health center for them.

My valued colleagues, employers and workers across the country and those in the safety and health industry!

A new year has just begun with full of hope.

We have capacity which helped us overcome economic crisis before as an exemplary model in the world. 

I believe crisis can be another opportunity.  

We will transform the crisis into opportunity by accepting new trend of change to reach our goal.

I hope that people in all industries gather their capability in 2012 to secure safety and health level of advanced nations. Also we will get out of the economic crisis to be a better Korea.

The KOSHA will work hard to lay a firm ground to boost the awareness of safety across the society and put it into action.

I want to wish all of you a happy and healthy new year once again and hope you always remain with your safety at workplace and in the community.

Thank you.