Korean Risk Assessment in 5 Steps: 2026 Practical Guide
Workplace Safety Field Guide 2 of 4: risk assessment and continuous review
The five stages of a Korean workplace risk assessment have not changed: preparation, hazard identification, risk determination, control planning and implementation, and recording and communication. What changed is the weight each stage carries. Since June 1, 2026, worker participation and communication of results have stronger statutory footing, so the evidence trail must cover participation and action rather than the form alone.
This guide was reviewed against the laws and notices in force as of July 12, 2026. It explains Article 36 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Ministry of Employment and Labor risk assessment guidance. Apply the current notice and workplace procedures to each operation.
The five stages
| Stage | Key question | Evidence to retain |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Preparation | Which process and task are in scope? | Scope, owners, schedule, and criteria |
| 2. Hazard identification | Who could be harmed, and by what? | Walkthroughs, worker input, accident and near-miss data |
| 3. Risk determination | Is the risk tolerable with current controls? | Decision criteria and priorities |
| 4. Control and implementation | Were elimination, substitution, and engineering controls considered first? | Owner, due date, and completion result |
| 5. Record and communicate | Is the action complete, and do workers know the residual risk? | Verification, training, toolbox talks, postings, or electronic notice |
Figure 1. Five risk assessment stages connected to monthly, weekly, and daily review. Source: Ministry of Employment and Labor risk assessment guide and official notice.
Worked example: an unusual sound from rotating equipment
This is a hypothetical example of the method, not an accident report. An operator reports an unusual sound from rotating equipment. Writing down that the sound occurred is where the assessment starts, not where it ends.
Define the task and inspection boundary first. The operator and maintenance worker can then examine when the sound occurs, the condition of guards, access during operation, and potential entanglement or crushing hazards. Apply the workplace decision criteria, assign controls such as stopping and isolating the equipment, qualified inspection, or guarding, and define the restart conditions. Communicate the remaining risk before work resumes.
The point of the example is narrow. The signal is an input to hazard identification, not the assessment itself. Risk determination, control implementation, verification, and worker communication still have to follow.
Figure 2. A worked flow from an unusual-sound report through scope confirmation, risk assessment, controls, and restart records.
Continuous review connects the month, week, and day
Workplaces with frequently changing hazards can use a continuous assessment approach. Ministry guidance connects a monthly joint labor-management walkthrough, weekly safety discussion, and daily pre-work toolbox meeting.
- Monthly: review the full workplace, new hazards, and incomplete controls.
- Weekly: account for process changes and planned work, then reset priorities.
- Daily: communicate the hazards and controls for the work about to start.
Continuous assessment does not mean producing the same form every day. Monthly findings should shape weekly coordination and daily work instructions, while field observations feed the next review.
Where the process often breaks
- A manager completes the assessment without input from the people doing the work.
- Hazards are listed, but controls have no owner or due date.
- The equipment or process changes, while the old assessment remains unchanged.
- Nobody verifies that controls were completed.
- Results stay in a file and never reach workers.
Field checklist
- Include non-routine work, maintenance, cleaning, and restart tasks in scope.
- Involve workers who know the task in identifying hazards and reviewing controls.
- Set risk decision criteria before the assessment.
- Consider elimination and substitution before relying on personal protective equipment.
- Give every control an owner and due date.
- Recheck residual risk after implementation.
- Communicate the result and pre-work precautions to workers.
Each pass through the five stages leaves records that draft the next assessment. What looks like paperwork produced for compliance becomes, over time, a history of each process and the participation evidence the June revision expects.
Where Xylolabs fits
Acoustic and vibration data can provide one input to equipment hazard identification. Motor Sound Diagnostics focuses on condition signals from motors, reducers, and other rotating equipment and can alert teams to anomalies. The signal can support field inspection, but it does not replace risk determination, controls, or worker participation.
Official sources
- Article 36 risk assessment, Korean Law Information Center
- Workplace Risk Assessment Guidelines, Korean Law Information Center
- New Risk Assessment Guide, Ministry of Employment and Labor
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