Nakdonggangcheong Establishes Public-Private Communication Platform for Chemical Accident Prevention in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam

The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office will hold a regular meeting and a technical seminar on the 28th and 29th for member companies of the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam Chemical Accident Civil-Government Joint Response Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council).

Due to communication between the civil and government sectors being mostly limited to non-face-to-face methods over the past few years because of COVID-19, this year they have prepared a place for two-way communication again through in-person seminars.

The Bu-Ul-Gyeong region, where about 25% of nationwide chemical accidents occur, has regional characteristics such as port facilities and large-scale national industrial complexes where large-scale human and environmental damage can occur. Because of this, since 2016, the Nakdong River Office has been operating the "Chemical Accident Civil-Government Joint Response Council," which includes 327 hazardous chemical handling companies participating to prevent chemical disasters in the region and to enable joint response through civil-government cooperation in emergencies.

The Nakdong River Office Chemical Safety Management Team will hold a regular meeting and technical seminar on the 28th at the audiovisual education center of Ulsan University for 150 member companies of the Ulsan area Council.

This seminar will feature expert lectures on topics such as safety culture and risk communication, major points raised during on-site guidance and inspections, chemical accident cases, methods for implementing chemical accident prevention management plans, major revisions to the hazardous chemical handling facility standards notice, and best practices. The seminar is aimed at practitioners responsible for chemical substance management at each member company of the Council. Additionally, a discussion session for improving unreasonable systems and listening to workplace opinions will be held to facilitate communication between the civil and government sectors.

On the 29th, a regular meeting and technical seminar will be held simultaneously at the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office auditorium for 177 member companies of the Busan and Gyeongnam area Council. Lectures and discussions will be conducted on topics such as the region’s chemical accident prevention and response achievements and plans, key points during inspections of hazardous chemical handling facilities, and presentations of non-compliance cases.

Cho Gwang-seok, head of the Chemical Safety Management Team, said, “There are clearly limits to government response alone in the event of a large-scale chemical disaster. We will continue to create opportunities for cooperation and communication between the civil and government sectors so that we can contribute to building a safe community from chemical substances and ensure rapid response and recovery through collaboration in emergencies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.