Korea Proposes Standardizing Radiation Worker Health Checks for Efficiency

Korea Proposes Standardizing Radiation Worker Health Checks for Efficiency

SEOUL – Korea’s Nuclear Safety Commission (NSSC), the nation’s independent nuclear safety regulator, has announced a proposed amendment to the Enforcement Rule of the Nuclear Safety Act. The revision aims to streamline health check-up procedures for radiation workers by standardizing blood test items and diagnostic report formats, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing inconvenience for those in the field.

Currently, radiation workers often face the burden of undergoing repeated health examinations when changing jobs or duties, as the specific blood test criteria can vary across different supervising ministries. The proposed amendment seeks to resolve this by unifying the required blood test items. These include measurements for hemoglobin, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and platelet count, ensuring consistency regardless of the specific regulatory body.

This standardization initiative is designed to enable mutual recognition of health check-up results among the relevant government agencies. Under the new rule, medical examination outcomes would be accepted by the NSSC, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (specifically the Disease Control and Prevention Agency), and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, eliminating the need for redundant testing and fostering greater administrative efficiency.

As part of the legislative process, the NSSC is inviting public comments on the proposed amendment. Individuals, organizations, and institutions are encouraged to submit their opinions on the draft regulations by May 11, 2026. Comments can be submitted online via the National Participation Legislation Center website (http://opinion.lawmaking.go.kr) or sent by email to kwonmj@korea.kr. Written submissions can also be mailed to the Radiation Safety Division, Nuclear Safety Commission (3 Soweol-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 04528).

For further details regarding the proposed amendment, interested parties can visit the NSSC website (https://www.nssc.go.kr) under the “Information Plaza → Legal Information → Legislative/Administrative Notice” section, or contact the Radiation Safety Division directly at 02-397-7273.

Source: 법제처 — Original Article (Korean)