Small- and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) in South Korea that have been struggling to secure chemical professionals will be able to hire talents more easily starting next month under a revised bill that was approved by the Cabinet on Monday.

The approval is aimed at alleviating the mounting burden on SMEs by broadening the eligibility criteria for chemical professionals and safety managers that they are required to hire for chemical operations.

Domestic SMEs have long suffered from labor shortages due to the country’s stringent hiring requirements for technical personnel and safety managers mandated under the current laws on the treatment of chemical substances.

The laws, the Act on Registration and Evaluation of Chemicals and Chemical Substances Control Act, were implemented in 2015 following a series of chemical incidents, including an industrial hydrofluoric acid leak in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province in 2012 and the tragic humidifier disinfectant case in 2011.

The humidifier case in particular triggered an outbreak of lung diseases in Korea, which highlighted the need for reinforcing the regulations on use and control of chemical substances.

The current laws mandate companies engaged in handling hazardous chemicals to hire at least one technician tasked with the design and arrangement of processing steps while ensuring the safety of facilities.

To qualify for this role, individuals need to possess a master’s degree or higher in a relevant field, or they must hold certifications as engineers, industrial engineers, or technicians.

They must also have accumulated 3 to 7 years of practical work experience to be officially recognized as technical personnel. Individuals with a lack of work experience can still qualify by obtaining the status of a technician or technical manager.

The laws, however, have put more burden on SMEs, which handle a wider range of products compared with large companies that usually focus on small items and mass production. Many SMEs now find the regulations too harsh to comply with in reality.

The latest amendment is expected to help SMEs in going through such challenges.

Under the amendment, SMEs will be allowed an additional 5 years of exemption from hiring technical professionals to treat hazardous chemicals.

The amendment is also set to benefit over 148,000 individuals who will now qualify as technicians and safety managers.

In particular, individuals holding nine different certificates will meet the criteria for technical personnel, while an additional 12 qualifications will apply to safety managers. SMEs will also have the flexibility to hire professionals such as surface treatment technicians, industrial engineers, and fine chemical engineers to fulfill roles as technical personnel and safety managers

By Hong Hae-jin and Han Yubin

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