Role of Health Manager in Case of Emergency Patient | On-site First Aid · 119 · Accompaniment · Post-Emergency Reporting

📥 View Emergency Patient Response Role Chart & Reporting Decision Excel

🚨 The first 5 minutes, things one person cannot do at the same time

Let's consider a hypothetical example. At 2 PM, a worker suddenly collapses at a logistics center's loading area and does not respond when called. At this moment, at least four tasks are required simultaneously: checking consciousness and breathing by the patient's side and starting chest compressions; continuing the call with 119 and following the dispatcher's instructions; retrieving an automated external defibrillator (AED) and opening the gate for the ambulance to enter; and stopping nearby forklifts and conveyors to prevent a secondary accident.

If a health manager attempts to perform all four of these tasks, one of them will inevitably be delayed. The 2025 Korean CPR Guidelines (published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korean Association of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in January 2026) are also based on the premise that there must be separate individuals handling the call and retrieving the equipment, to the extent that they suggest 119 dispatchers instruct callers on securing and using AEDs. The first chapter of the manual... Who does what at the same time It is correct to start with .

If there are any time slots in this table where the Health Manager column is empty, that is a gap in the manual. For workplaces with shift work, please create separate columns for Day, Night, and Weekend shifts and fill them in with names.

🩹 Scope of treatment varies depending on health manager qualifications

Not all health managers are capable of providing the same treatment. Article 22 of the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Safety and Health Act Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 7 designates 'treatment of persons requiring emergency treatment,' 'treatment to prevent the aggravation of injuries or diseases,' and the administration of medicines accompanying such treatment as the duties of a health manager, while Limited to cases where the health manager is a doctor or a nurse. This subparagraph does not apply to health managers appointed with qualifications in industrial hygiene management or ergonomics, or with an industrial health degree, and Article 27 of the Medical Act You cannot perform medical procedures according to [this].

A frequently asked question in the field is, “Will you take responsibility if it is mishandled?” Article 5-2 of the Emergency Medical Services Act It stipulates that in cases where emergency treatment is provided to a life-threatening emergency patient without intent or gross negligence, civil liability and criminal liability for injury are not incurred, and criminal liability for death is mitigated. However, as there are separate eligibility requirements, there is room for interpretation regarding whether this applies directly to working nurses, physicians, and health managers depending on the situation. In employee training, it is not a case of 'unconditional exemption for everyone' The principle is to report and follow the instructions rather than hesitate. It is more accurate to convey it as such.

Please also separate legal standards from internal standards for equipment. Article 82 of the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations The designated first aid equipment includes bandage materials, absorbent cotton, tweezers, adhesive bandages, antiseptics for injuries, tourniquets, splints, stretchers, and burn medicine for workplaces with a risk of burns; employers must inform the public of storage locations and usage instructions and designate a manager. There is no regulation requiring the manager to be a health manager. AEDs Article 47-2 of the Emergency Medical Services Act pursuant to Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 6-2 Workplaces required to have a health manager with 300 or more regular employees There is a mandatory requirement to have one, and inspections must be conducted at least once a month to report the results to the relevant city, county, or district office, and informational signs must be posted. Smaller workplaces are not legally required to have one, but simply noting the location of the nearest AED in the manual makes a difference during the first five minutes.

📞 Sentences to write down in advance so you don't get stuck on the 119 emergency call

Article 5 of the Emergency Medical Services Act Paragraph 1 stipulates that anyone who discovers an emergency patient must immediately report to an emergency medical institution, etc. The reporting shall not be 'after first reporting to the health manager,' but The person who discovered it was Please write this in the manual. You just need to notify the health manager at the same time as the report.

In reality, the part that takes time on emergency calls is the address. The larger the workplace, the more likely an ambulance will get lost at the main gate if you only provide the address “○○ Factory.” If you attach the three lines below next to your emergency contact sheet and phone, anyone calling will be able to say the same thing.

A 119 dispatcher will provide guidance on chest compressions over the phone. According to the 2025 guidelines, for adults, chest compressions should be performed on the lower half of the sternum to a depth of approximately 5 cm at a rate of 100 to 120 times per minute; however, if you have not received training or find artificial respiration burdensome, chest compressions alone are sufficient. Rather than making them memorize these numbers “Do not hang up and follow the instructions.” It works better in the field if you train it repeatedly.

🚑 Is it mandatory for a health manager to accompany someone to the emergency room?

Although many workplace manuals state that “a health manager accompanies to the hospital,” no laws establishing this have been confirmed. Regarding riding in a 119 ambulance... Article 12 of the Enforcement Decree of the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Act Paragraph 6 states that when there is a risk that the patient may cause harm to themselves or others, the paramedic shall... to the guardian, etc. You can request a ride together. It is a fixed amount. The decision on who will accompany the passenger will be made by the paramedic at the scene.

In that case, who should go? If the health manager leaves in an ambulance, startled colleagues, halted work, and unaddressed causes remain at the scene. Another emergency patient could also arise at the same time. Therefore, in practice... The health manager remains at the scene, and a colleague or supervisor who witnessed the collapse accompanies them. This method is frequently used. This is because what medical staff need is not a company position, but someone who can accurately convey 'when and under what circumstances the patient collapsed, and what was done.'

HR will handle family contact, but, Article 19 of the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Act In accordance with Paragraph 1, when transporting a patient without a guardian, paramedics must also notify the family or relevant parties of the patient's condition. To avoid confusion caused by the company and the paramedic calling the same family separately, it is recommended that the accompanying person contact HR first upon arrival at the hospital, and that HR handle the contact with the family.

🔐 The scope of information a company can disclose when medical staff ask about chronic illnesses or medications

Companions become flustered when asked in the emergency room, “Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions or medications you take?” The health manager may be aware of the consultation log, but information regarding health Article 23 of the Personal Information Protection Act It is sensitive information, and the exception is If separate consent has been obtained and Where required or permitted by law There are only two. General personal information such as contact details Article 18 of the same Act Under Paragraph 2, Subparagraph 3, information may be provided 'when clearly necessary for the urgent benefit of the data subject's life or body,' but an official interpretation has not been confirmed as to whether this exception applies equally to health information.

Therefore, to avoid worrying in an emergency, the only option is to set it up in advance. If an employee with a chronic illness wants it You select the 'information you may share with medical staff in an emergency' and give separate consent. It is a method where you are instructed to do so, and only that information is managed separately in the infirmary using envelopes or locked files. This is different from taking the original counseling log in its entirety. As for how the counseling records are divided and managed... Health Manager Health Consultation Records | How Much Medical Information Should Be Used and To Whom Should It Be Reported To? It was covered in detail in [link].

📝 Post-reporting is divided into internal reporting and statutory reporting.

The next morning, messages asking “When is the report out?” pile up on the health manager’s desk. At this point, the first thing to distinguish is Is it a work-related accident? no see. Article 2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act Industrial accidents under Subparagraph 1 refer to death, injury, or contraction of disease resulting from work-related equipment or operations; therefore, not all cases, such as collapsing in the office due to a personal pre-existing condition, are subject to statutory reporting. If the work-relatedness is ambiguous, mark it as 'under verification' and prepare according to the shorter deadline. The entity obligated to report is the employer, and the health manager's role is to technically assist with the investigation of causes and record-keeping (Article 22, Paragraph 1, Subparagraphs 10 and 13 of the Enforcement Decree).

Knowing the criteria for administrative fines also makes internal persuasion easier. According to Annex 35 of the Enforcement Decree, failure to report a serious accident is 30 million won, while failure to report an industrial accident investigation report is 7 million won for the first offense, 10 million won for the second, and 15 million won for the third and subsequent offenses. Concealing an industrial accident is subject to imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won (Article 170 of the Act). Workers must apply for industrial accident insurance to the Korea Workers' Compensation Service ( Article 41 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act The system requiring the company to stamp the application form has been abolished. HR simply needs to clear up the misconception that “you can only apply if the company stamps it.”

Internal reports differ in purpose from statutory documents. What management needs to know is the circumstances of the incident, the time taken for on-site measures, and tasks for preventing recurrence, not the diagnosis. Levels such as "transported to hospital, discharged on the same day" or "undergoing inpatient treatment" are sufficient. This applies to workplaces with five or more regular employees subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Article 4 of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act No. 8 stipulates that management responsible for operations must prepare manuals regarding work suspension, evacuation, relief measures, and prevention of additional damage, and inspect them at least once every six months; therefore, if this response record is used as inspection material, the work will not be done twice.

💬 A wrap-up that takes care of even the colleagues who were by the collapsed employee's side

A colleague who performed chest compressions, or a teammate who witnessed the collapse, may have trouble sleeping that night. Thoughts such as, "Should I have noticed it sooner?" may linger for days. The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) has established Technical Support Regulation H-36-2021, "Guidelines for Early Response to Acute Stress in the Event of Serious Accidents at Workplaces." While these guidelines are recommendations without legal binding force, they demonstrate a trend of viewing psychological support following an accident not as a "choice," but as a step in the response procedure.

• On the day: The list of employees who were on-site is shared only with HR and the health manager, and their status is inquired about via individual contact.
• Days 1-3: Send individual text messages with EAP counseling information, and allow counseling during business hours if desired.
• After 1 week: If there are employees who find it difficult to return to the same work, we will review work adjustments.

The company does not collect information regarding whether or not EAP counseling is used or the content thereof. Since Article 83, Paragraph 2 of the Framework Act on Workers' Welfare stipulates that anonymity must be guaranteed during the implementation of EAP, employees can use it with peace of mind. The actual operational method of Nudge EAP, which opened an in-house psychological counseling room after an incident and connected employees to counseling, is as follows Case of an in-house psychological counseling center that opened 4 days after an accident You can see it at.

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📚 Source and Verification Criteria

• Article 22 of the Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Duties of Health Managers)
• Article 82 of the Rules on Occupational Safety and Health Standards (First Aid Equipment)
• Article 54 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (Measures by the Employer in Case of Serious Accident)
• Articles 3, 67, and 73 of the Enforcement Rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Scope of serious accidents, reporting, industrial accident investigation form)
• Articles 57 and 164 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Recording and Preservation of Industrial Accidents)
• Article 4 of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Punishment, etc. of Serious Accidents (Measures for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System)
• Articles 5-2, 14, and 47-2 of the Act on Emergency Medical Services
• Article 12 of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services (Emergency Medical Activities), Article 19 of the Act
• Articles 18 and 23 of the Personal Information Protection Act
• Article 41 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (Application for Medical Treatment Benefits)
• Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency "2025 Korean Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guidelines" Training Materials
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Technical Support Regulations (H-57-2023 On-site Emergency Response System, H-36-2021 Early Response to Acute Stress, etc.)

Legal Verification Date: October 28, 2026. This article is a general practical guide and does not substitute for legal judgment on individual cases. The criteria for role division and accompaniment are examples of internal standards, not statutory standards, and the situations described in this article are hypothetical examples for illustrative purposes. In emergency situations, calling 119 and the judgment of medical personnel take the highest priority.