Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association accepting online applications from Monday
Sites with high electronic card usage rates prioritized; total budget 200 million won
Small and mid-sized construction sites with inadequate rest facilities will receive up to 5 million won ($3,710) to cover the purchase or rental of air conditioners, heating units and rest-area containers. Sites with high electronic card usage rates and longer remaining construction periods will be given priority.
The Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association said it will begin accepting applications Monday for its construction site rest facility improvement support project, targeting sites with total construction budgets under 10 billion won.
The project was designed to reduce welfare blind spots at small and mid-sized sites where industrial safety and health budgets built into project costs are too limited to properly equip rest facilities. Of the 54,377 workplaces enrolled in the retirement mutual aid fund managed by the association, 46,994 — or 86.4 percent — have total budgets under 10 billion won. These sites have long drawn criticism for lacking amenities such as heating and cooling equipment even when rest spaces exist.
Eligible sites must have total construction budgets under 10 billion won and ongoing work extending past April 1 next year. Support limits per site are tiered by budget: 2 million won ($1,480) for sites under 1 billion won, 3 million won for sites between 1 billion won and 5 billion won, and 5 million won for sites between 5 billion won and 10 billion won. The total budget for the program is 200 million won ($148,000).
Eligible items include rest-area containers, wall-mounted air conditioners and heaters, refrigerators, hot and cold water dispensers, desks, chairs and cots. Sites with budgets under 1 billion won may receive support only for rental costs, while those with budgets of 1 billion won or more may receive support for either purchase or rental.
Among applicants, the association will prioritize sites with high electronic card usage rates from their construction start date through the end of August this year, those with longer remaining construction periods as of the application date, and those with smaller overall budgets. Grants will be disbursed from November until the budget is exhausted, and duplicate support under the same business registration number will not be permitted.
Applications can be submitted online through a QR code or a Naver Form. Detailed instructions and required documents are available on the association's Geonseol-e-eum platform.
Chang Geon, chairman of the Construction Workers Mutual Aid Association, said he hopes the support will provide a safe resting space for construction workers at small and mid-sized sites laboring in difficult conditions. "We will continue to identify welfare blind spots for construction workers and provide support so they can genuinely feel improvements in their working environment," he said.
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