In Korea, risk assessment was legislated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 2013. According to the Act, a business owner shall identify hazardous or risk factors in workplaces, evaluate whether the degree of the risks is within acceptable limits, and take measures based upon the results of such evaluation. The risk assessment should be done every year with relevant workers’ participation. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) has run a website, KRAS, Korea Risk Assessment System, for direct counselling as well as providing information such as an updated manual (guidebook).

 

The employer and trade union of Korea Piston Ring Inc. had done the risk assessment together with help from KILSH since 2016. This is the report of the risk assessment in 2018 which focused not only on comprehensive assessment of workplace hazards and risks but also on empowerment of both workers and management so that the workplace can be improved continuously and systematically.

 

Before starting the risk assessment, the result of the previous year and plan for 2018 were presented to all workers. Workers’ opinions were collected on-site during the risk assessment and asked again when the preliminary results of evaluation on each work process were presented. The main results were presented to all workers before making final report so that the workers’ opinion can be fully reflected to the written report.

 

A field survey team consisted of five workers. Eight hours of education and training was provided before the actual evaluation of workplace. They worked with researchers from KILSH during the workplace survey for two weeks and afterward for analysis and discussion of the results.

 

The trade union and employer agreed to develop their own risk assessment forms that were appropriate to their workplace. The risk assessment team made these forms considering the guidelines of the Korean Occupational Health and Safety Agency (KOSHA), the classification of chemicals proposed by the Wonjin Institute for Occupational & Environmental Health which has experience in assessment of carcinogens in workplaces, and the guidelines of the Occupational Safety and Health department of the Korea Metal Workers Union.

There were four basic ideas that were used to develop the new risk assessment forms:

1. The forms refer to KOSHA guidelines so that they are consistent with legislative purposes, acceptable to both labor and management, and easily used for assessment.

 

2. The intensity and frequency of each risk factor are assessed on five scales so that the severity of problems can be classified more precisely. The score for each risk factor is calculated by multiplying the intensity and frequency. Then an additional score can be added to reflect workers’ opinions and experiences.

 

3. To emphasize the importance of implementation of workplace improvement measures, the risk assessment score can be increased or decreased according to the implementation of measures proposed in the previous year.

 

4. When there is a disagreement between labor and management on the assessment, a tripartite discussion with an advisory body will be held.

 

It is important for labor and management to utilize the risk assessment tools for continuous improvement of the work environment. To help achieve this goal, the risk assessment forms were converted into a card that is easy to use and store. The cards include relevant legal provisions in the usual forms for the user’s convenience. 

 

The risk assessment forms consist of two pages. The first page includes the name of the worker and the assessor, classification of periodical or nonscheduled assessment (and the reasons for nonscheduled assessment such as illnesses of workers, changes in the facilities, or new working procedures, etc.), date of assessment, name of the department, name of the work process, name of the task, and working conditions such as daily work hours, workload, yearly work days, and cycle of work shift.

The actual labor process should be written for all the tasks by the worker, with reference to the standard operating procedure. Photographs of the hazards or risks can be included. Risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders, risks of accident, hazardous chemicals used by or exposed to the workers, and noise can be overviewed on the first page.

 

The second page of the risk assessment form has two parts. The level of necessity of improvement is suggested in order of scores in the upper half of the second page. The levels are: very low (1~3), low (4~6), average (7~9), high (10~12), and very high (13~). The measures for each risk factor are suggested in the lower half of the page. The reduction of the risk by implementation of the measures could be written with an agreement between labor and management later on the same page.

 

Four major risk factors are assessed: risk of traumatic accidents, risk of musculoskeletal disorders, risk from hazardous chemicals, and risk from noise exposure. The measures should be immediately implemented regardless of the assessment scores when any of the following four absolute criteria occurs: 1) when there is an accident causing death, or injuries of more than one worker that takes three months or longer to be treated, or if ten or more workers are injured; 2) when any worker is left with a disability or pathological condition; 3) when there is any violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (such as inappropriate protective devices, or no local ventilation); or 4) when a measure to improve the work environment has not been implemented or has been implemented insufficiently.

  

The employer needs to endeavor to implement its own declaration on safety and health management. The declaration can be realized by solid action plans. The most important thing is to identify the problems that have been found repeatedly since the last assessment, to classify them into short-, mid- or long-term tasks, and to realize the implementation plans via discussions at the Occupational Safety and Health Committee etc. In the short term, priority can be given to immediate measures with less cost. It is most important for both labor and management to implement substantial measures based on the needs and demands of workers.

 

Long working hours with night work was the biggest risk found in the last risk assessment. This problem was fundamentally addressed by changing the work schedule into a two-shift system without overnight work. Nevertheless, work intensity was still found to be problematic among the workers in this risk assessment. Exposure to hazards was reduced according by shortening working hours based on the new work schedule. However, the production goal has not been reduced proportionately with working hours, resulting in shorter breaks and lunch times and the result is maintaining a high work intensity. A future plan to reduce excessive workload should be established that includes an appropriate time and place for rest during the working hours.

 

Workers are still exposed to the risk of musculoskeletal disorders as before since the old-fashioned equipment and work procedures have not been improved. First of all, the burden of working in a standing position should be actively relieved by providing appropriate chairs considering the needs of workers and characteristics of their work. In addition, efforts to adopt ergonomic production facilities should be made in the mid- to long-term.

MSDS have been provided and posted in most working areas since the last risk assessment. However, updating of the content is limited. MSDS should be posted in a place where workers can easily access them. MSDS are important because they provide very basic information for workers to recognize the hazardous chemicals they use and to encourage them to protect their own health. More efforts should be made to protect workers handling petroleum products, sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide and those working nearby who also have a higher risk of exposure. These workers should be given special safety and health education and training for better recognition of hazards and better knowledge on how to deal with them. Immediate measures should be implemented to improve the following: handling of hazardous chemicals that are used in small portions but poured from a large-volume containers; indoor storage of chemicals; and leaving rags in uncovered cans after wiping off chemicals such as anti-corrosive oils and metalworking fluids.

 

A recommendation of the previous risk assessment was to test the performance of local exhaust equipment however this recommendation has not been adequately implemented. More efforts should be made to implement a functioning, appropriate local exhaust system. This is basic equipment to protect workers handling hazardous chemicals. Performance tests can be performed during regular workplace environmental monitoring that occurs twice per year. This regular testing will provide information on the current condition of the exhaust system.

 

The previous risk assessment showed that improved storage of carcinogenic chemicals was urgently needed. However, no substantial improvement has been made. Inappropriate storage of hazardous chemicals threatens the health not only of the workers who directly handle them but also of those who work nearby. More active measures should be implemented for confinement, ventilation, and isolation of these chemicals.

 

The previous risk assessment recommended mapping the noise sources in each factory building, hiring a professional organization to deal with the issue, and making plans for noise control. A mid- to long- term plan to implement those recommendations should be established. At the same time, various short-term measures to reduce noise exposure should be done. For example, the number of noise sources should be reduced; sound insulation materials should be installed; and workers should be educated about the hazards of noise and encouraged to use earplugs. Visual warnings in case of danger should be considered to ensure that workers using earplugs recognize the alarm.

Air circulators producing both cool and warm air have been adopted in some areas where workers are exposed to hot temperatures or cold temperatures. Additional circulators may be implemented considering the needs of workers. The hygiene and performance of air circulators needs to be constantly managed. 

 

A low level of lighting was one of the most serious problems in this company. Low lighting not only causes fatigue but also risks leaving hazards unrecognized during work. Although there was a partial improvement in lighting in the foundry building as a result of the last risk assessment, workers show low satisfaction with the change. Implementation of measures should actively reflect workers’ needs and opinions to achieve a better result. Workers should be able to use the new lighting system without concerns regarding the cost.

Korea Piston Ring Inc. has a high risk of various traumatic accidents because the machinery is old, the floor surface is not level, and the workplace is not adequately organized or cleaned. It is necessary to establish a routine management system for safety. For example, routine checks would reveal if products are loaded above the height of workers or if carts are left in the middle of the walkway. Regular joint patrols by labor and management should be done for the entire workplace to prevent accidents. 

A safe and healthy workplace can be achieved only by the active participation of workers as well as the cooperation of labor and management. High quality safety and health education is critical to achieve a safe and healthy workplace. Education planning should include the opinions of workers. Both labor and management should work together to improve education to empower workers.