Korea Polytechnic University launches summer safety inspections across all campuses

Korea Polytechnic University is stepping up safety management across all its campuses to prevent natural disasters and industrial accidents during the summer season. The institution's top executive will personally visit campuses to inspect all areas — including laboratories, industrial safety, facilities and cybersecurity — as part of an effort to raise safety awareness.

The university said Tuesday that Chairman Lee Cheol-su would visit its North Jeolla campus to conduct on-site safety inspections covering laboratory, industrial, facility and cybersecurity safety. The move comes as industrial accidents have continued to occur nationwide and the government has maintained a push to strengthen safety management, prompting the university to review its safety systems across all campuses.

Ahead of the inspections, the university completed preliminary safety checks at all its affiliated institutions to prepare for summer natural disasters, including flooding and heat-related illness. Vulnerable facilities were comprehensively reviewed and emergency contact networks were updated to prevent property damage and casualties from heavy rain and typhoons.

The on-site inspections will focus on verifying compliance with laboratory safety regulations, including safety education, health checkups, detailed safety assessments and corrective measures. Industrial safety checks will also cover the status of occupational health and safety training and risk assessments.

Facility safety inspections will be conducted in partnership with the Korea Industrial Safety Association, targeting exterior cladding, drainage systems, retaining walls, and electrical and gas installations to identify vulnerabilities to summer flooding and take preemptive remedial action. Cybersecurity checks will run in parallel, examining server room access controls and the management of personal data handlers to prevent data breaches and cyberattacks.

"Safety must be the top priority above all else, and since natural disasters are difficult to predict, preliminary inspections and a well-prepared response system are the surest way to minimize damage," Lee said. "Summer is a time when vigilance can easily slip, so we will do our utmost to strengthen safety awareness and prevent any loss of life."