1. Reasons for Amendment

This Amendment modifies regulations that are incompatible with on-site and international standards to better reflect reality by recognizing interlock systems, opto-electronic protective equipment, and other forms of protective measures that can be installed according to on-site circumstances in the case of work that requires the opening of covers or fences installed on mixers and other rotary machines. It also prescribes standards on the use of portable ladders to account for the fact that portable ladders are used to perform work in narrow spaces and for intermittent maintenance work.

The Amendment enables prevention and management of noise-induced hearing loss by specifying that places of business conducting noise work, severe noise work, or impact noise work shall be subject to the establishment of hearing conservation programs, minimizes the dangerous work required when performing operational inspections of safety valves installed to prevent explosions caused by overpressure in chemical equipment by streamlining the frequency of the operational inspections, and otherwise addresses and improves upon a number of weaknesses that have emerged from the operation of the current system. 

2. Major Provisions

A. Streamline fall prevention measures for ladder-type passageways (Article 24)

Allow hoop guard installation to be optional when a personal fall prevention system that meets performance standards set forth in the Korean Industrial Standards has been installed and workers are required to use safety harnesses.

B. Streamline regulations on safety helmets for delivery workers (Article 32, Article 86, Article 672, Article 673)

Streamline regulations to enable employers, etc. to instruct delivery workers to wear a protective helmet for vehicular users appropriate for the means of transportation used by the workers.

C. Prescribe standards on the use of portable ladders (Article 42)

Prescribe standards on the use of portable ladders to ensure work safety given the fact that portable ladders are used at work sites.

D. Delete standards on wire ropes, which are not used with suspended scaffolds (Article 55)

Delete provisions concerning the maximum load safety factor for the work footing of suspended scaffolds as rope descent systems use “fiber ropes” instead of “wire ropes” or “steel wires” and standards on the use of “fiber ropes” are specified separately.

E. Modify standards on log scaffolding (Article 71)

Delete provisions on log scaffolding, which are not used on site.

F. Modify and prescribe the scope of choice of protective measures for crushers, etc. (Article 87)

Prescribe that an interlock system or opto-electronic protective equipment shall be installed or machine operation shall be suspended when opening the cover or fence of a crusher or other rotary machine.

G. Clarify the scope of machines subject to suspension of operation upon maintenance or other work (Article 92)

Clearly prescribe that “machines” shall be subject to suspension of operation upon maintenance or other work as it is reasonable to assume that the scope encompasses all machines including “machine tools, transportation machines, and construction machinery.”

H. Modify provisions on the use of lever pullers, etc. (Article 96)

Clarify standards on prohibited chains by combining repeated standards and replacing complex citations with direct provisions.

I. Clarify measures to be taken upon driving position deviation of vehicle-type cargo handling machinery, etc. (Article 99)

Change the term for vehicle movement from “deviation” to “movement” to clarify anti-slip measures for slopes.

J. Prescribe protective measures for food processing bowl lifts (Article 130)

Prescribe that when a worker may be jammed or otherwise endangered during the operation of a machine that lifts and pours the contents of a container into another food processing machine, an emergency stop system shall be installed in addition to another measure chosen from the following: (1) A fixed guard or fence (2) A sensor or other sensitive protective equipment (3) Allowing the machine to operate only when the button to raise or lower the container is being pressed

K. Measures to prevent mobile cranes from falling over (Article 150)

Prescribe standards on the use of outriggers to prevent mobile cranes from falling over during operation.

L. Strengthen safety devices for platform trucks (Article 184)

Mandate the installation of reversing alarms and warning lamps on platform trucks, and prescribe that seat belts shall be worn when using platform trucks.

M. Update provisions on falling object protection structures (Article 198)

Prevent the risk of falling objects by changing the description of falling objects in dangerous locations where objects may fall during the use of vehicle-type construction machinery from “rocks” to “earth and sand, etc.”

N. Streamline the frequency of operational inspections for safety valves (Article 261)

Streamline the frequency of operational inspections for safety valves from “at least once every 1 or 2 years” to “at least once every 2 or 3 years.”