Comprehensive Guide to Occupational Safety and Health Education Targets, Schedule, and Online Options

Since the target audience and duration of industrial safety and health training vary depending on the workplace's industry, size, job function, and work content, HR and safety and health managers must manage standards for regular training, new hire training, and special training separately.

 

Key Summary

item	Items to check by the person in charge
Education Name	Industrial Safety and Health Education
Educational nature	Worker safety and health education under the Industrial Safety and Health Act
Main targets	Workers, new hires, those with changed work duties, those subject to special training, supervisors, construction day laborers, etc.
Education classification	Regular training, training upon hiring, training upon changes in work content, special training, basic safety and health training for the construction industry
Regular training hours	6 hours or more per half-year for office workers and employees directly engaged in sales, and 12 hours or more per half-year for other employees.
Supervisor training	Regular training of at least 16 hours per year
Training upon hiring	Classified into 1 hour, 4 hours, and 8 hours or more by target
Training when work content changes	1 hour or 2 hours or more per target
Special education	Implemented separately for hazardous work subjects; duration varies by work type.
Online education	It is possible, but verification of training hours, content, completion status, and supporting documents is required.
Key supporting documents	Training plan, list of participants, training materials, certificate of completion, training log, supplementary training records

 

Occupational safety and health training is not a course that is completed after all employees complete it online once. Regular training, new hire training, training for changes in work content, special training, and supervisor training must be managed separately by type, as they differ in target audience and duration.

 

What is Industrial Safety and Health Education?

Industrial safety and health education is training that employers are required to conduct to prevent industrial accidents among workers and to create a safe and healthy working environment. Article 29 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act stipulates that employers must regularly provide safety and health education to their employees, and must also provide necessary safety and health education when hiring workers or changing work duties.

In addition, when assigning workers to hazardous or dangerous work or changing work content, special training required for the relevant work must be conducted in addition to general training.

In practice, it is recommended to manage industrial safety and health training by classifying it as follows.

 

division	explanation
Regular training	Regular safety and health training for incumbent employees
Training upon hiring	Training conducted for new hires before work
Training when work content changes	Training conducted when tasks, facilities, processes, or work methods are changed
Special education	Additional training for workers engaged in hazardous or dangerous work
Supervisor training	Training conducted for persons in supervisory positions
Basic Safety and Health Education for the Construction Industry	Basic education for construction day laborers

 

Therefore, the person in charge should first check "Who needs to receive what training and for how many hours?" rather than "Has our company conducted industrial safety and health training?"

 

Who needs to check?

Occupational safety and health training is difficult for an HR manager to manage alone. Collaboration between the safety and health officer and the site manager is necessary because the workplace industry, job function, working environment, risk factors, and the presence of supervisors are all interconnected.

 

manager	Things to check
HR Manager	Training schedule, list of participants, management of new hires, resignations, employees on leave, and employees returning to work
Safety and Health Officer	Verify training target, training time, training content, and whether it is hazardous work
Supervisor	Participation in on-site worker training, guidance on safety rules before work, identification of risk factors
Management Support Manager	Contract with external educational institutions, operation of online education, storage of completion certificates and supporting documents
Site manager	Check for changes in work details, new recruits, and those subject to special training.
worker	Completion of regular training, understanding of safety rules before work, reporting of hazardous situations

 

In particular, organizations with a large number of field workers, such as those in manufacturing, construction, logistics, facility management, hospitals, and research institutes, may find it complex to categorize training participants. They must manage administrative staff, field workers, sales personnel, supervisors, new hires, and temporary workers separately.

 

Procedures that the person in charge must check

1. Check if our workplace is subject to industrial safety and health training.

First, you must verify the industry, size, number of employees, and type of work at the workplace. While industrial safety and health training is generally required for many businesses, under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, certain regulations may not apply to specific industries or workplaces, or the training hours may vary.

 

Confirmation items	Reason for verification
Business type	Determination of the applicability of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the obligation to train
Number of regular employees	Check applicability to certain business sectors and possibility of training hour reductions
Distinction between office and field jobs	Calculation of regular training hours
Whether or not directly engaged in sales work	Calculation of regular training hours
Whether or not there is a supervisor	Confirmation of supervisor training targets
Whether it is hazardous or dangerous work	Confirmation of Special Education Eligibility
Whether or not they are construction day laborers	Confirmation of eligibility for basic safety and health education in the construction industry

 

In practice, it is advisable to verify the workplace industry code, the industry covered by employment insurance, the actual duties performed, and whether on-site work is involved. You should not conclude that a workplace is not subject to industrial safety and health training simply because there are "many office workers."

 

2. Classify the training participants.

The types of industrial safety and health training vary depending on the target audience. Even for the same employee, new hires are subject to training upon recruitment, while subsequent hires may be subject to regular training. Training may be required if work content changes, and special training should also be considered if assigned to hazardous or dangerous work.

 

Subject	Education to check
Employed workers	Regular training
New hires	Training upon hiring
Workers whose job duties have changed	Training when work content changes
Workers assigned to hazardous and dangerous work	Special education
Supervisor	Regular training for supervisors
construction day laborers	Basic Safety and Health Education for the Construction Industry
short-term and fixed-term workers	Confirmation of training hours upon hiring based on the employment contract period
employees on leave of absence or returning to work	Confirmation of whether job duties will change and the necessity of supplementary training after returning to work

 

The list of trainees must be finalized before the training, and after the training, actual completion must be verified through certificates of completion, attendance records, and training logs.

 

3. Check the training time.

The duration of industrial safety and health training varies by course. The table below shows the major training times most frequently checked by the person in charge.

 

Education classification	Target	Training time
Regular training	Office workers	More than 6 hours every half-year
Regular training	Workers directly engaged in sales work	More than 6 hours every half-year
Regular training	Other workers excluding those directly engaged in sales activities	More than 12 hours every six months
Regular training for supervisors	Person in a supervisory position	More than 16 hours per year
Training upon hiring	Daily workers and fixed-term workers with a contract period of one week or less	more than 1 hour
Training upon hiring	Fixed-term workers with an employment contract period exceeding one week but not exceeding one month	More than 4 hours
Training upon hiring	Other workers	more than 8 hours
Training when work content changes	Daily workers and fixed-term workers with a contract period of one week or less	more than 1 hour
Training when work content changes	Other workers	more than 2 hours
Basic Safety and Health Education for the Construction Industry	construction day laborers	More than 4 hours

 

The duration of special training varies depending on the type of hazardous or dangerous work. Generally, necessary training must be conducted for workers engaged in the relevant work before they begin operations, and the duration may differ depending on whether the work is short-term or intermittent.

 

4. Check the online education operation standards.

Industrial safety and health training can be conducted in various ways, including online training, group training, video training, in-house training, and external commissioned training. However, even when conducted online, it must be possible to verify the training time, content, completion status, and individual attendance.

 

Educational methods	Things to check during operation
Online education	Check completion status, training hours, training content, evaluation, or progress rate
Group training	Keeping of attendance lists, training logs, training materials, photos, or signature sheets
Video Education	Check connection logs, participant list, training materials, and training hours
In-house training	Verification of appropriateness of instructor standards, educational materials, and educational content
External commissioned training	Verify whether the training institution is registered with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, certificate of completion, and contract
Field training	Pre-work training content, attendees, trainer, and training date and time

 

The Ministry of Employment and Labor advises that safety and health training for workers and supervisors pursuant to Article 29 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act may be conducted internally by the workplace or entrusted to a safety and health training institution registered with the Ministry.

When using online training, you should check not only whether a certificate was received, but also whether the training schedule aligns with our company's target audience, whether the content is relevant to the work environment, and how to fill in for those who did not complete the course.

 

5. Prepare educational materials and content.

Industrial safety and health education materials may include industrial accident prevention, workplace hazards, protective equipment, measures to be taken in the event of an accident, prevention of occupational diseases, job stress, protection of customer service workers, and industrial safety and health laws and regulations.

 

Organization of educational materials	Examples of practical application
Industrial Safety and Accident Prevention	Prevention of major accidents such as falls, entrapment, drops, cuts, and collisions
Industrial health and occupational disease prevention	Noise, dust, chemicals, musculoskeletal strain, emotional labor, etc.
Work environment management	Identify hazards and risks, organize, and wear protective equipment.
Industrial Safety and Health Act	Duties of Employers and Employees, Reporting and Recording Standards
Job stress prevention	Management of overwork, emotional labor, customer verbal abuse, and psychological burden
Emergency Response	Accident reporting, first aid, and evacuation procedures
Risk factors by site	Standards for our workplace's facilities, processes, workflow, and work plans

 

If only standard training materials are used, actual workplace hazards may be omitted. It is recommended to include our company's work environment, accident case studies, protective equipment standards, pre-work checklists, and emergency contact lists in the training materials.

 

6. Keep supporting documents.

For industrial safety and health training, you must keep records that prove completion of the training. Especially when conducting online training, it is recommended to organize the list of participants, training hours, course name, and completion status together, rather than just keeping the certificate of completion.

 

Supporting documents	Management purpose
Education plan	Confirm annual training schedule and target audience
List of trainees	Verification of those who missed training
Educational materials	Verification of the appropriateness of training content
List of Attendees	Check completion of group training
Online Certificate	Proof of completion of remote education
Training Log	Record of training date, instructor, content, and location
Video Education Access Log	Proof of participation in non-face-to-face education
Supplementary education records	Management of incompleters, new hires, and absentees
External Educational Institution Contract	Proof of commissioned training
Educational institution registration verification data	Check if it is a registration authority

 

Even if training was actually conducted, insufficient records make it difficult to explain compliance during subsequent inspections or accident investigations. After training, you must identify those who missed the session and those required for supplementary training.

 

Practical Checklist

item	check
I checked the industry and the number of regular employees at our workplace.	□
We checked the applicability of industrial safety and health education and the possibility of partial exclusion or reduction.	□
It distinguished between office workers, those directly engaged in sales, and other workers.	□
The subjects for supervisor training were identified separately.	□
We established training standards for hiring new employees.	□
I summarized the situations where training is required when work content changes.	□
We identified the individuals subject to special training for hazardous and dangerous work.	□
When operating online training, it was made possible to check training hours, completion status, and training content.	□
When using external outsourced training, I checked whether the training institution was registered with the Ministry of Employment and Labor.	□
We reflected our workplace's risk factors and accident response procedures in the training materials.	□
Educational materials, attendance lists, certificates of completion, and training logs were kept.	□
After the training, support procedures for those who have experienced accidents, high-risk workers, and emotional laborers were also provided.	□

parts that are often missed

First, there are cases where industrial safety and health training is simplified to the rule that "if there are five or more people, the training duration must be the same." However, the standards for industrial safety and health training vary depending on the industry, company size, whether the workers are office staff or sales personnel, whether there are supervisors, and whether the work involves hazardous or dangerous tasks.

 

Second, there is a misconception that office workers do not need industrial safety and health training. Office workers are also subject to regular training, and the training hours and content can be structured differently from those of field workers.

 

Third, there are cases where regular training is confused with onboarding training. New hires must first check the onboarding training, and are subject to regular training while employed. If job duties change, training for job changes must also be reviewed separately.

 

Fourth, there are cases where supervisor training is omitted. Since supervisors perform roles different from general workers, a separate standard of at least 16 hours of regular training per year must be managed.

 

Fifth, there are cases where only the online training completion certificate is retained without verifying the training content or the classification of participants. Even when using online training, you must ensure that it is appropriate for the job duties and risk factors of our workplace.

 

Sixth, there are cases where people are swayed by advertisements from training institutions impersonating the Ministry of Employment and Labor or the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. Since the Ministry of Employment and Labor advises verifying the institution's registration status, instructor qualifications, and training plans, you must confirm the registration status before entrusting external training.

 

Situations where EAP is needed

Occupational safety and health education is fundamental training for accident prevention and compliance with safety rules. However, in actual workplaces, situations requiring psychological support may arise following an accident, such as anxiety, shock to colleagues, burden on managers, verbal abuse from customers, emotional labor, and stress from repetitive hazardous work.

 

In the following situations, you may consider EAP or external counseling and organizational support systems together.

 

situation	Directions for EAP Utilization
Employee anxiety increases after industrial accidents or near misses	Post-accident psychological stability support, crisis intervention
Accident witness complains of insomnia, anxiety, and guilt	Individual counseling, support for post-traumatic stress prevention
Field managers struggle with response and communication after accidents	Manager coaching, team communication support
Repeated stress caused by customer verbal abuse and emotional labor	Guide to Emotional Labor Counseling and Protection Systems
Accumulation of tension and fatigue among hazardous workers	Job stress counseling, recovery support
After the accident, the team atmosphere deteriorated and a dispute over responsibility arose.	Organizational recovery program, relapse prevention communication

 

Occupational safety and health education should not end with the "completion of training," but must be connected to reducing accidents in the actual work environment and enabling employees to work safely. EAP can be utilized as a complementary system that covers post-accident psychological support, managerial response, organizational recovery, and job stress management.

 

Related Posts

· Comprehensive Summary of Targets, Hours, and Fines for the 5 Major Mandatory Statutory Educations

· Supervisor Training Target Criteria Checklist (For HR Staff)

· Supervisor Training Safety and Health Manager Operation Checklist

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is industrial safety and health training required for all companies?

While many workplaces need to review industrial safety and health training, some regulations may not apply or training hours may vary depending on the industry and size of the business. Therefore, you must first verify the workplace's industry, the number of regular employees, the distinction between office and field workers, and whether hazardous or dangerous work is involved.

 

Q2. Can industrial safety and health training be conducted online?

You may utilize online training. However, you must be able to verify completion status, training hours, content, and completion rates for each participant. If you outsource online training to an external institution, it is advisable to verify whether the institution is registered with the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

 

Q3. Are office workers also subject to industrial safety and health training?

Office workers may also be subject to regular training. Under current training hour standards, office workers must undergo at least 6 hours of regular training every six months. However, eligibility and specific exceptions must be verified based on the industry and size of the workplace.

 

Q4. Is supervisor training the same as general worker training?

They are different. Since supervisors have the role of directing and supervising on-site workers and managing work safety, separate training standards must be verified. Regular training for supervisors needs to be managed based on a standard of at least 16 hours per year.

 

Q5. If the training is entrusted to an external institution, does the company's liability disappear?

No. While training may be outsourced to external institutions, the obligation to conduct the training and the responsibility for managing participants' completion fundamentally lie with the employer. Therefore, the company must ultimately verify the institution's registration, the appropriateness of the training materials, certificates of completion, attendance lists, and records of supplementary training.

 

Next step

If you want to go beyond simply completing statutory industrial safety and health training and connect it with post-accident psychological support, managerial response, job stress management, and organizational recovery, review the training, counseling, and organizational support system tailored to your organization through a Nudge EAP implementation consultation.

 

👉 Go to Nudge EAP Implementation Consultation →

 

source

· National Law Information Center, Article 29 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

· National Law Information Center, Article 26 of the Enforcement Rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

· National Law Information Center, Annex 4 of the Enforcement Rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Act

· Ministry of Employment and Labor, List of Worker Safety and Health Education and Job Training Institutions and Notice to Caution Against Impersonation of Safety and Health Education Institutions

· Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Industrial Safety Portal Education System, Safety and Health Education Guide

 

This content is intended for general informational purposes. Specific legal, labor, employment, occupational safety and health, medical, and psychological counseling matters may vary depending on workplace conditions and the latest laws, so review by relevant experts may be necessary.