Labor ministry says KOSHA and Hanguk Dongseo Baljeon sign safety pact

The labor ministry said Tuesday that Hanguk Saneop Anjeon Bogeon Gongdan, known as KOSHA, and Hanguk Dongseo Baljeon signed a safety agreement to prevent industrial accidents at power-generation facilities and strengthen cooperation with contractors.

The agreement was signed Aug. 25 at KOSHA in Ulsan, with the agency's chairman and the power company's president attending, the ministry said. It was drawn up after a series of major accidents across industry and amid a growing need to strengthen safety management at power plants, which are national infrastructure. Power-generation projects concentrate large-scale equipment and high-risk processes, the ministry said.

The organizations agreed to combine KOSHA's technical expertise with the power company's safety management capacity to identify and improve practical risks at worksites. Under the agreement, they will provide training to establish safety and health systems for contractors and subcontractors, conduct joint inspections of high-risk work and develop safety and health training materials tailored to site conditions. They will also support experiential training for the power company's employees to raise safety awareness and collaborate on measuring the performance of safety activities and establishing related systems.

The ministry said it expects the cooperation to strengthen the continuing partnership between the organizations and improve safety and health capabilities at small and medium-sized contractors.

"Safety in the power sector, a key national industry, is directly linked to the safety of our society as a whole. Through this agreement, we will do our utmost to work closely with Hanguk Dongseo Baljeon, eliminate hazards at worksites and create safe workplaces," Kim Hyeon-jung, chairman of KOSHA, said.