Korea chamber to hold industrial accident prevention seminars at 35 regional chambers nationwide

By Park Hye-won, The Herald Business

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) will jointly tour regional chambers across the country to provide practical training on compliance with the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Starting Thursday at the Gimcheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, KCCI will hold its "National Tour Seminar on Serious Accident Prevention" at 35 regional chambers, including those in Daejeon, Ulsan, Incheon and Jeju.

This year, the seminars will for the first time incorporate an employer education program under the industrial accident prevention rate system, targeting small business owners at eight chambers including those in Pohang, Daejeon and Iksan. Owners of manufacturing, forestry, sanitation and similar service, and sewage businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees who complete the training will be eligible for a 10 percent reduction in their industrial accident insurance premium rate for one year beginning the following insurance year.

A course on building an occupational safety and health management system and conducting risk assessments, taught by KOSHA experts, will also run at 29 chambers. The practical training program, first held in 2024, has drawn a positive response from a cumulative total of 77 chambers since its launch.

Kim Hak-jin, head of KOSHA's education coordination office, said the agency actively supports the establishment of voluntary safety and health management systems based on risk assessment to prevent workplace accidents. "We will expand tailored training programs for management executives and business owners so that companies can strengthen their safety management capabilities and workers can operate in safer environments," he said.

A safety officer at a small manufacturing firm in Incheon that participated in last year's seminar said the training helped make risk assessment — which had previously felt abstract — immediately applicable on the shop floor by walking through examples specific to the company's own workplace. "This year, we heard there would also be guidance on cutting industrial accident insurance premiums, so our CEO decided to attend in person," the officer said.

Yoo Il-ho, head of KCCI's employment and labor team, said many companies still struggle to respond on the ground due to shortages of personnel and budget, even years after the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took full effect, and that close support must continue. "This year, the link with the industrial accident prevention rate system offers a two-for-one benefit — improving safety while reducing insurance costs — and we hope small and medium-sized enterprises will make active use of it," he said.

The seminars will be held in person at each regional chamber of commerce and industry. Companies wishing to participate may register through the KOSHA education system website.