¡ã Employees are working in the unsafe working environment (google) |
On April 24, subway worker Mr. Kim died from radon poisoning. Radon is a class one carcinogens. Radon levels where Mr. Kim was working were 10 times higher than the acceptable standard. To dissipate the concentration of radon in the environment you need a facility that has a well-equipped ventilation system. Obviously this was not the case where Mr. Kim was working.
People who get sick due to their working environment can seek compensation from a company’s Occupational Health and Safety Insurance. However, companies often provide the victim with out of pocket compensation instead. Why do they pay for it? Well for the most part, they do not want to invite any outside management to review their operations, nor do they wish to be under investigation by any outside bodies. Furthermore, if a company claims less under their Occupational Health and Safety Insurance plan, than other companies in the same line of business, their rates are discounted.
In Korea, statistics about occupational health related diseases do not exist. Statistics are important to develop a solid government policy and a safe system that is effective at protecting its employees. We need to know exactly where the problem areas are and what diseases are prominent. Without this information, policymakers cannot develop appropriate legislative and regulatory responses that are in the best interests of the workers and their employers.
The Dankook Herald (DKH) interviewed Professor Roh Sang-chul (Dept. of Medical Science) about this problem. The professor said, “The government is not trying to protect their workers. Although similar accidents and situations are happening in succession, they have yet to prepare any countermeasures to deal with them.” He added, “The other reason is that Ministry of Employment and Labor (MEL), which supports workers, does not think along the same lines as their counterparts in other countries. For example, on the webpage of the US Department of Labor there is a phrase that states if a place of business is not safe, it must not be a reputable place. On the contrary, the MEL in Korea thinks that because someone is hired, the working environment must be okay, even if the place of business has been proven unsafe. This is because contrary to the US, Korea added the word “employment” to their department name.”
Lastly, the DKH asked how we could solve these problems. He said, “One solution is that we must have stronger and more effective laws. Korea has laws regarding the working environment, but they are weak and we do not enforce them. On the contrary, the U.K. has a Business Homicide law where if an employer does not manage the safety of their employees well, the owner of the company can be held accountable under criminal law. We need stronger laws like this one.” He added, “The other solution is that we must think about prevention too. Article 1 of the Occupational Health and Safety Insurance program is different between Korea and other countries. For example, in Germany the first article of their act places emphasis on prevention first and compensation second. However, in Korea, article 1 first highlights compensation then the installation and operation. We do not even try to prevent accidents. In other words, we always lock the stable door when the steed has already been stolen.”
We have a right of work under decent working conditions. Companies need to provide safe working environments for their employees. Governments should also develop laws that ensure the rights of employees are protected. To build a better society for all Koreans, our government should empower the nation, including its weakest communities.
An Hee-jin anhj12261226@gmail.com