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Serious Accidents Punishment Act: 37 Sites Named
Korea's labor ministry named 37 workplaces with final Serious Accidents Punishment Act convictions on October 15, 2026, bringing the total to 81. On October 15, 2026, Korea's…
Humanoid Robot Factory Trials and Korea's Rules
Korea's regulatory sandbox cleared 20 humanoid robots for trials at semiconductor, automotive, shipbuilding and logistics sites on October 13, 2026. The sandbox committee of the…
Korea's Winter Fire and Explosion Inspections
Korea's labor ministry will inspect fire and explosion risk workplaces from November 2 to 13, 2026, after a self-check period from October 19 to 30. Fire and explosion deaths…
Old Elevators: Korea's New Safety-Part Rules
On September 28, 2026, Korea's interior ministry set how safety parts in old elevators are judged at the third detailed safety inspection, after 21 years. The Ministry of the…
Korea's Accident Investigation Reports Go Public
Korea's labor ministry published 117 more accident investigation reports on October 7, 2026, covering 2023 accidents whose court rulings are final. With the 51 reports that the…
UPS Battery Rooms After the NIRS Data Center Fire
Korea's interior ministry said on October 2, 2026 that 56 of 1,459 public IT facilities had not separated lithium batteries into a UPS battery room. The Ministry of the Interior…
OSH Act Amendment: Work Stoppage Rights and Fines
Korea's National Assembly passed an OSH Act amendment on October 1, 2026 that widens the right to stop work and allows fines up to 5% of operating profit. The amendment to the…
Workplace Safety Design: Forklift Lanes, Walkways
Workplace safety design uses color and signs to separate forklift lanes from walkways, and Korea's labor ministry announced support on September 10, 2026. The Ministry of…
Semiconductor Plant Inspection: 338 Violations
A semiconductor plant inspection by Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) found 338 Occupational Safety and Health Act violations at 27 sites. MOEL published the results…
Korea's M.AX Manufacturing AI: Where to Start
Korea's M.AX manufacturing AI transformation policy picked up pace in the second half of 2026, with 220 AI factories targeted by year-end. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and…
EU AI Act Delay and Korea's AI Basic Act in 2026
The EU AI Act's high-risk obligations, first due August 2, 2026, now apply from December 2, 2027 for standalone AI and August 2, 2028 for AI in products. Korea's AI Basic Act has…
DCASE 2026 Machine Sound Anomalies in Field Noise
DCASE 2026 Task 2, the research challenge on finding machine faults by sound, turned to real-world noise and added two-channel audio for each machine. The two channels were…
Korea's H1 2026 Work Deaths: Falls Down, Fires Up
Investigated accidental work deaths in Korea fell to 253 in the first half of 2026, down 34 (11.8%) from the first half of 2025. Construction and fall deaths dropped sharply, but…
Confined Space Gas Testing Rules and Records
Korean rules require confined space gas testing before work: employers must measure oxygen and hazardous gas levels and confirm the air is acceptable. Acceptable air means oxygen…
Korea's 2026 Crackdown on Repeat Factory Accidents
Korea stepped up enforcement on repeat factory accidents, where the same type of accident recurs at the same workplace, in July and August 2026. The Ministry of Employment and…
PHM 2026 Data Challenge: Gear Damage Estimation
The PHM 2026 Data Challenge, the PHM Society's North America competition, asks teams to estimate gear tooth damage from inexpensive sensor data. Tooth images are provided only for…
Draft OSH Decree Adds Lithium Primary Cells to PSM
Korea's draft OSH Decree of July 14, 2026 would add lithium-thionyl chloride primary battery manufacturing to process safety management (PSM). The Ministry of Employment and Labor…
Smart Safety Equipment Subsidy 2026: What to Check
Korea's smart safety equipment subsidy covers up to 80% of the agency-assessed cost for workplaces under 50 workers, capped at KRW 30 million each. Applications are accepted on a…
Port Cargo Handling Accidents and Field Checks
Collisions with transport equipment were the most common cause of death in Korean port cargo handling from 2011 to June 2021. They accounted for 21 of the 64 accident deaths…
Construction Falls: 2025 Data and the First Ruling
Construction had 286 of Korea's 605 investigated workplace deaths in 2025, and the first Serious Accidents Act conviction concerned a construction fall. The Ministry of Employment…
