KOSHA support occupationally-vulnerable workers like security guard of the apartment complex

signing MOU on preventing accidents with 15 headquarters of the building management organizations on 23^rd October to support developing the standard model of risk assessment and training ageing workers

23^rd October

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A car park attendant aged 67, in Gyung-gi province, January, missed his step and fell to death from 2 meters high. He was looking for a car on the second floor of the parking facility as the machine malfunctioned.

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A security guard of the apartment complex located in Gwang-ju, January, rolled down the stairs and hurt his head as he patrolled the complex. He was taken to the hospital but died under the treatment.

KOSHA begins its efforts to prevent accidents in a systemic manner against sectors where usually aged workers are involved as car park attendants and security guard of the apartment complex.

President Hun-ki Baek of KOSHA signed MOU with 15 headquarters of building management businesses on 23^rd October to help prevent accidents in the building-management sector.

According to the statistics of occupational accidents, 11,530 workers were injured in the building-management sector over the past 3 years with 3,800 cases on an annual average.

* No. of accidents in the building-management sector for the last 3 years (2009-2011)

- Especially, among some 4,000 accidents last year, 2,193 cases were aged-workers’ accidents, taking more than half or 54.8% of the overall cases.

*  Accidents in the building-management sector by ages distribution (2011)

Considering the situation, KOSHA signs MOU with representatives of the 15 building-management businesses, on 23^rd October, who are in charge of hiring and dispatching workers for the secerity guard and facility management jobs.

* The 15 building-management businesses are: HDC I-service, Samkoo, Woori Housing Operation & Management Company, Doing CNS, Goam, Daewon General Management, C & S Corporation, Seolim Corporation, POMA, Soonil Corporation, ASTA IBS, Hyundai SNS, Dongwoo Union, Handuk Engineering, and Homeswell.

Under the MOU signed, KOSHA supports safety and health of workers that the building-management businesses dispatch: providing consulting on field-oriented OSH; giving materials and training on illness-causing jobs for aged workers; offering fiscal assistance for improving facilities after evaluation. In particular, KOSHA is planning to develop and distributing risk assessment model for the building-management sector, responding to the ‘risk-assessment system’ which will take effect next year.

A person from KOSHA said that working environment of the building-management sector is very poor where workers are usually aged, expressing his expectation for this prevention initiative to be effective for the occupationally vulnerable workers through the MOU with the headquarters as they can have a direct impact on workers. End.