SUWON — The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education is moving to pay the equivalent of damages up front to school cafeteria workers who have received workers' compensation approval for lung cancer contracted while working in school kitchens.
The plan focuses on allowing cafeteria workers whose lung cancer has been recognized as an occupational injury to receive support without going through a separate civil lawsuit, the provincial education office said on the 22nd. The measure is intended to ease the burden of prolonged litigation and help workers with treatment and a return to daily life.
The education office said it began reviewing the support after the Seoul Central District Court recently ruled that metropolitan and provincial education offices bear liability for damages in connection with lung cancer among school cafeteria workers.
On Sept. 8, a single-judge civil division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled partly in favor of nine cooks who filed a damages suit after receiving workers' compensation approval for lung cancer following more than 12 years of work in school kitchens.
The court found that ventilation facilities for discharging hazardous substances generated during cooking were inadequate and that preventive safety measures were insufficient. It recognized the liability of the Gwangju, Jeonnam, Busan and North Gyeongsang education offices and ordered them to pay 10 million won (about $7,000) to each plaintiff.
The education office said that although the ruling involved other metropolitan and provincial education offices, it saw a need to reduce the burden on cafeteria workers in the province of having to file lawsuits again over the same issue. The move is also aimed at avoiding a waste of administrative resources and speeding up recovery for those affected.
Eligible recipients are school cafeteria workers in Gyeonggi Province who have received workers' compensation approval for lung cancer. The payment is being pursued at a level of about 10 million won per person, reflecting the standard set by rulings in other regions. The education office plans to secure the necessary funding through a supplementary budget.
Along with the financial support, the education office said it would accelerate improvements to working conditions in school kitchens. It plans to strengthen a prevention-centered safety management system so that cafeteria workers can work without concern.
The main measure is improving ventilation systems in school kitchens. The office will set priorities for upgrades based on a comprehensive assessment of risk, the age of the facilities and urgency, and will also modernize cooking environments to reduce cooking fumes.
It will also expand the distribution of protective equipment and bolster industrial safety and health training. Health screenings for lung cancer prevention and follow-up management for workers with abnormal findings will continue, with the aim of detecting and managing health damage early.
"The education office must step forward first so that cafeteria workers who devoted themselves to healthy meals for our children and fell ill do not suffer again through courtroom battles," Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-seok said. "Along with preemptive support, we will fulfill our responsibility to the end in creating a safe working environment, including improving ventilation systems in school kitchens."