Lawmaker Seo Wang-jin pushes 'asbestos safety package' to close gaps in schools, worksites

Seo Wang-jin, a proportional-representation lawmaker of the Rebuilding Korea Party, said Thursday he had introduced a package of three bills — two amendments to the Asbestos Safety Management Act and one amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act — to strengthen asbestos safety management in schools and general buildings and eliminate blind spots in the current system.

According to Seo, asbestos management is currently split between the Asbestos Safety Management Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Critics have long argued that fragmented standards and procedures during building maintenance and asbestos removal leave dangerous gaps on the ground.

For aging buildings, unclear reinspection criteria can create discrepancies between actual site conditions and asbestos maps. In outdoor spaces used by vulnerable groups — including kindergartens and schools — no concrete response procedures exist for dealing with asbestos residue when it is found.

The amendments focus on making asbestos management more effective. Under the proposed changes to the Asbestos Safety Management Act, reinspection would be mandatory when 10 years have passed since the initial survey or when alterations such as removal work have occurred, improving the accuracy of asbestos maps. The bills also require specific initial response measures — including access restrictions and collection and disposal procedures — when asbestos residue is found in outdoor areas of schools and similar spaces.

On-site response systems and safety management staffing would also be significantly reinforced. High-risk buildings above a certain size would be required to designate at least two safety managers, and owners would be obligated to keep essential safety equipment on hand. Managers would be required to take immediate containment measures if asbestos fiber dispersal is suspected, and supervision standards for removal work would be made more specific to reflect the scale of each site.

The amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act would require that documentation submitted after the completion of removal work include before-and-after photographs and images of equipment used, improving reliability. It also specifies airborne concentration measurement methods in detail to strengthen the system's effectiveness. To prevent confusion between agencies, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy would jointly set standards for measurement qualifications and equipment through a joint ministerial ordinance.

"Asbestos is a Class 1 carcinogen whose dangers are well established, and it threatens public safety in schools, living spaces and demolition sites alike," Seo said. "Every citizen's right to breathe safely, live safely and work safely is a fundamental environmental and life right the state must guarantee. Asbestos management must be built on thorough prevention, not after-the-fact response. We will pass this three-bill package to move beyond paperwork-only management and build a prevention system that works in practice — closing every gap in the safety net."