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Comprehensive Guide to Occupational Safety and Health Training Targets, Schedules, and Online Options (2026 for HR & Safety & Health Managers)
2026.07.03 10:21
Industrial Safety and Health Education · HR Practical Guide
Industrial Safety and Health Education,
Check eligibility, time, and online criteria all at once.
Check eligibility, time, and online criteria all at once.
Since the target audience and duration of industrial safety and health training vary depending on the industry, size, job function, and work content of the workplace, HR and safety and health managers Regular training, training upon hiring, training upon changes in work content, special training You must manage standards separately.
The most important point in this article
Having all employees take the same training once is insufficient.
Manage worker classification, training types, training hours, work hazards, and supporting documents together.
📌 Key Summary of Industrial Safety and Health Education
| 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 |
| Whether to apply | First, verify whether the business or workplace is exempt from training application in accordance with Annex 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and make a judgment based on the actual industry, workplace unit, and workers' duties. |
| Main targets | Workers, newly hired employees, those with changes in work duties, workers engaged in hazardous or dangerous work, supervisors, construction day laborers, etc. at workplaces subject to legal training |
| 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.
| 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 this?
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 |
The targets for supervisor training should not be determined solely by job titles such as team leader or section head, but must be verified to confirm whether they actually perform the role of directly directing and supervising subordinate employees in production or work-related tasks.
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 for the person in charge to check
STEP 01
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.
In practice, it is advisable not to make a judgment based solely on the business name registered on the business registration or the business type covered by employment insurance, but to check the actual work performed at the workplace together with the Korean Standard Industrial Classification and the exclusion criteria in Annex 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
| 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 |
STEP 02
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.
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.
| 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 | Verification based on actual work command and supervision, safety inspections, and guidance of new employees, rather than job titles. |
| construction day laborers | Basic Safety and Health Education for the Construction Industry |
| short-term and fixed-term workers | Check the training hours for each contract period and whether the actual assigned work requires special training. |
| employees on leave of absence or returning to work | Upon returning to work, verify whether assigned duties, facilities, or processes have changed, and review training if work content changes, if necessary. |
STEP 03
Check the training hours.
The hours below are the basic training hours in accordance with Annex 4 of the Enforcement Rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Since the actual applicable hours may vary depending on the training course, the worker's duties, the employment contract period, and separate exemption or reduction requirements, it is recommended to record the basis for application for each subject.
Special training is training conducted when deploying workers to hazardous or dangerous work as defined in Annex 5 of the Enforcement Rule of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Since training hours may vary depending on the type of work, whether the worker is daily or short-term, and whether the work is short-term or intermittent, you must not simply group it as 'one special training course,' but record the relevant work item and applicable time together.
If special training has been conducted, it can be considered as having been provided to the relevant employee upon hiring and upon a change in work content; therefore, when determining whether there is duplicate training, the subject work and completion time of the special training are checked.
| 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 |
If special training has been conducted, it can be considered as having been provided to the relevant employee upon hiring and upon a change in work content; therefore, when determining whether there is duplicate training, the subject work and completion time of the special training are checked.
STEP 04
Check the online education operation standards.
Industrial safety and health training may be conducted using permitted training formats, such as group training, on-site training, internet-based remote training, and non-face-to-face real-time training, either exclusively or in combination. When entrusting training to an external institution, you must verify whether the institution is registered as a worker safety and health training agency and whether the target audience, duration, and content of the course meet company standards. However, even if conducted online, it must be possible to verify the training duration, content, completion status, and individual attendance.
When conducting in-house training at a workplace, not just any employee may be designated as an instructor. The training must be conducted by the Safety and Health Manager, supervisor, safety manager, health manager, safety and health manager, occupational health physician, a person who has completed the instructor training course at the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), an occupational safety and health consultant, or a person who meets the standards set by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
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 of completion 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.
| Educational methods | Things to check during operation |
|---|---|
| Online education | Check completion status, training hours, training content, evaluation, or progress rate |
| Group training | Keep the list of attendees, training log, actual training materials used, and signature sheets, and manage photos as supplementary materials when necessary. |
| Video Education | Check connection logs, participant list, training materials, and training hours |
| In-house training | Verification of instructor qualifications in accordance with the Enforcement Rules, actual training materials, training content in Appendix 5, and whether workplace risk factors are reflected |
| External commissioned training | Verify the registration status of the worker safety and health education institution, registered fields, target audience, duration, and content, as well as the certificate of completion and actual training materials used. |
| 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 of completion 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.
STEP 05
Prepare educational materials and content.
Industrial safety and health education materials may include industrial accident prevention, workplace hazards, protective equipment, measures in case of an accident, prevention of occupational diseases, job stress, protection of customer service workers, and industrial safety and health laws and regulations.
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.
| 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 |
| Risk assessment and worker participation | Identification of hazardous and risky factors by task, corrective measures, submission of worker opinions, and methods for reporting hazardous situations |
STEP 06
We 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.
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.
| 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 |
✅ Industrial Safety and Health Education 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. | □ |
| When conducting in-house training, we verified whether the training facilitator met the instructor criteria under the enforcement rules. | □ |
| In cases where special training was recognized as training upon hiring or training upon changes in work content, the target work and training hours were recorded. | □ |
📊 How to use the check results
| Checked items | Confirmation direction |
|---|---|
| 12~14 | A basic training operational system has been established. We regularly check whether organizational restructuring, new hires, and job changes are reflected in the target list. |
| 7~11 | Although the training is being conducted, there may be gaps in target audience classification, special training, instructor qualifications, online courses, or documentation management. We will determine the person in charge and the deadline for supplementation regarding the incomplete items. |
| 0~6 | Rather than deciding on a training provider or schedule first, it is necessary to first organize the workplace applicability, worker classification, and the list of supervisors and special training subjects. |
It cannot be determined that all industrial safety and health training obligations have been fulfilled based solely on the number of checks. The actual industry and work activities of the workplace, as well as the training curriculum, duration, and content for each worker, must be verified together.
RELATED RESOURCE
📎 Related Practical Materials
Please use the Excel file below to organize workplace applicability, worker classification, and training hours for regular, new hire, work content change, and special training all at once.
Free Excel Download of Industrial Safety and Health Education Target and Time Checklist →
This document is not a file that automatically legally determines the training subjects and times, but rather a practical management table designed to organize details verified by the person in charge based on the workplace's industry, job function, employment contract period, and type of training.
⚠️ Commonly missed points
Simplified to “same time for 5 or more people”
The standards vary depending on the industry, scale, whether the work is office-based or sales-related, whether there are supervisors, and whether the work is hazardous or dangerous.
It is a misconception that office jobs do not require training.
Office staff may also be eligible for regular training, and the training hours and content can be structured differently from those of field staff.
Confusing regular training with training upon hiring
For new hires, training requirements must be reviewed upon hiring, and they are subject to regular training during their employment. If job duties change, training for such changes must also be reviewed.
Missed supervisor training
Supervisors must separately manage the standard of at least 16 hours of regular training per year.
Keep only the online certificate
You must also verify whether online training is suitable for the job duties and risk factors of the workplace.
Wavering due to notices impersonating educational institutions
Before commissioning external training, you must verify the registration with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, instructor qualifications, and training plan.
💬 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.
However, EAP does not substitute for proof of implementation or completion of occupational safety and health training, risk assessment, work stoppage, accident investigation, or statutory safety and health measures. Safety and health procedures should be operated separately, and it is appropriate to link EAP when support is needed for the psychological burden of accident survivors, witnesses, and managers, as well as for organizational recovery.
🔗 Related Posts
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is industrial safety and health training required for all companies?
Industrial safety and health training is not applied in the same way to all companies. You must first verify the actual industry of the workplace and whether it falls under the exemptions specified in Annex 1 of the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. Subsequently, you must distinguish between office workers, sales personnel, other employees, supervisors, and those engaged in hazardous or dangerous work. You should not determine that a workplace is not subject to training based solely on the number of regular employees or whether they work in an office.
Q2. Can industrial safety and health training be conducted online?
You may utilize online remote education. However, you must be able to verify the target audience, duration, content, and completion status. If outsourcing to an external institution, you must confirm whether the institution is registered as a worker safety and health education agency and whether the course aligns with the company's employee classification. For in-house training, you must also separately verify the instructor's qualifications.
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. Eligibility for supervisor status is not automatically determined solely by the title of "team leader"; it must be verified based on whether they actually perform the role of directing and supervising subordinate workers in production or work-related tasks.
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
Industrial safety and health education
If you want to connect accident prevention with organizational recovery
If you want to connect accident prevention with organizational recovery
Consider psychological support, managerial response, job stress management, and organizational recovery together following an accident.
Go to Nudge EAP Implementation Consultation →📚 Source and Information
• 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
• 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.
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