The Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) has urged the government to set personnel limits based on company size to prevent an excessive number of honorary industrial safety inspectors from being appointed.
The KEF said on the 3rd that it had submitted a "Proposal for Improvement of the Honorary Industrial Safety Inspector System" containing such content to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
Honorary industrial safety inspectors participate in workplace inspections and are tasked with requesting employers to make improvements, halt operations, or conduct temporary health examinations.
The revised Occupational Safety and Health Act, which took effect on the 1st of this month, made it mandatory for the Minister of Employment and Labor to appoint individuals recommended by worker representatives as honorary inspectors. The procedure for hearing employers' opinions during the recommendation process and the "one appointment per workplace" principle under the Labor Ministry's operating regulations were also abolished.
The KEF argued that with the removal of personnel limits, excessive recommendations could be made to strengthen bargaining power in wage and collective agreement negotiations rather than to prevent industrial accidents. According to the KEF, manufacturer A is preparing a plan to recommend all of its several hundred workers as honorary inspectors, while company B is preparing to recommend all of its tens of thousands of workers.
The KEF argued that if honorary inspectors are appointed on a large scale, requests to halt operations could be made indiscriminately, disrupting production activities and reducing the objectivity and efficiency of workplace inspections. The group also pointed out that labor management conflicts over activity hours and personnel treatment could grow, and that confusion could arise in the existing safety and health management systems. It also expressed concern that the Labor Ministry's administrative and financial burden would increase, covering the issuance of letters of appointment and inspector certificates, dismissal reviews, and the provision of training and allowances.
The KEF proposed limiting the number of honorary inspectors to one for workplaces with fewer than 1,000 workers, up to three for those with 1,000 to fewer than 10,000 workers, and up to five for those with 10,000 or more. It suggested that employer consent be required when making recommendations, and that if amending the law proves difficult, the Labor Ministry's regulations should be revised to require the additional submission of a statement of reasons for recommendation, a work performance plan, and a record of safety and health-related career and activities.
"Unlimited recommendations and appointments could cause serious side effects, such as worsening labor-management conflicts, making safety management even more difficult," a KEF official said. "Reasonable legislative supplementation is urgently needed."
