The Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and Industry has joined the Ministry of Employment and Labor to upgrade safety management systems at local manufacturers.
The chamber said on the 15th that it held a CEO safety awareness workshop at the Utop Marina Hotel & Resort in Yeosu, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City, drawing about 30 participants including manufacturing business owners and safety managers. The two-day program runs through the 16th.
The workshop was organized as part of the Safety Work-Up program, a subproject of the convergence home appliance industry employment environment innovation initiative supported by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City. The chamber said the event highlighted its role as a key partner in bringing the ministry's regional industrial safety policies to the workplace.
The training went beyond mandatory legal instruction, focusing on helping chief executives recognize their direct responsibility for safety management and build field-centered safety systems.
The chamber invited specialist instructors in industrial safety and health to cover practical topics needed at company sites, centering on industrial accident compensation and the prevention of serious accidents.
The session on industrial accident compensation covered the workers' compensation insurance system, criteria for determining work-related injuries and the procedures employers must follow when an accident occurs. Participants reviewed not only post-accident compensation procedures but also how to identify causes, draw up measures to prevent recurrence and meet employers' legal obligations. A following session on preventing serious accidents addressed changes in industrial safety rules and policy direction, the management risks created by lax safety oversight, and prevention strategies drawn from actual accident cases.
The lectures placed particular emphasis on the role of management. Securing budgets and staff for safety and health, granting field managers the authority they need, and maintaining continuous attention to correcting hazards were cited as the core of an effective safety management system.
The program closed with a case presentation by DH Global, a company recognized for its safety management. The firm shared examples of hazards identified and corrected through risk assessments, along with its experience improving work environments and equipment.
Participating companies used the session to explore concrete safety management practices they could apply at their own worksites.
"The Gwangju Chamber will work closely with the Ministry of Employment and Labor to provide hands-on support so local companies can assess hazards on their own and build a sustainable safety culture," said Chae Hwa-seok, standing vice chairman of the chamber.