"Seven out of Ten Construction Sites Nationwide Lack Safety Measures... '30 Defective Sites Subject to Administrative and Legal Actions'"

Ministry of Employment Announces Results of First 'On-Site Inspection Day' on 14th
69% of Over 3,500 Sites Lack Safety Measures...140 Sites Under Patrol Inspection
30 Violations Subject to Administrative and Legal Actions...Minister An Kyung-duk Calls for "Improved Industrial Safety Awareness"

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk (far right) conducting an unannounced patrol inspection at a newly constructed factory site in Sejong City on the 1st of last month. (Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government announced on the 19th that a surprise inspection of over 3,500 construction sites revealed that 70% of the workplaces had insufficient safety measures. Patrol inspections will be conducted at 110 sites, and administrative and legal actions will be taken at 30 sites following industrial safety and health supervision.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of a comprehensive inspection of fall hazards at construction sites conducted on the 14th, the Day of On-Site Inspection for the Three Major Safety Measures. More than 850 teams, including Vice Minister Park Hwajin, were deployed for the inspection. Among the 3,545 inspected sites, 3,080 sites (86.9%) had project costs under 1 billion KRW.

As a result of the inspection, 2,448 workplaces with insufficient safety measures were requested to make corrections by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, accounting for nearly 70% of the total. (Data=Ministry of Employment and Labor)

There were 2,448 workplaces (69.1%) where the Ministry of Employment and Labor requested corrective actions due to insufficient safety measures. The most common issue was the absence of safety railings on the sides of stairs, found at 1,665 sites. There were 1,156 sites cited for issues related to personal protective equipment, such as workers not wearing safety helmets, followed by 834 sites lacking work platforms in fall hazard areas. Sixty-five sites were cited for more than 10 safety deficiencies. One hundred eighteen sites had 6 to 9 issues, 468 sites had 4 to 6 issues, 1,797 sites had 1 to 3 issues, and 1,097 sites had none.

Patrol inspection, supervision linked to 140 site issues. (Data=Ministry of Employment and Labor)

The Ministry stated that for 1,071 of the 2,448 workplaces, inspection teams plan to verify the employers’ corrective measures remotely through photos and videos. Patrol inspections (110 sites) and industrial safety and health supervision (30 sites) will be conducted at 140 sites. Particularly, the 30 sites with notably poor safety management will be linked to industrial safety and health supervision for administrative and legal actions against violations. At these 140 sites, 623 safety deficiencies (an average of 4.5 per site) were identified. The Ministry also announced that if workers are found not properly using personal protective equipment during patrol inspections or supervision, fines will be imposed on the workers as well.

Even considering that most of the inspected sites are small-scale workplaces, the Ministry of Employment and Labor assessed that the level of safety measures is still too low. Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyungduk said, “Even considering that most inspected sites are small-scale construction sites, safety deficiencies were found in more than two-thirds of the sites, and some sites had as many as 30 issues. It is still a reality that many sites prioritize work efficiency over safety.”

Minister An added, “Safety railings, work platforms, and personal protective equipment are directly related to the safety and lives of workers, so I urge strict compliance with the rules. Continuously operating the Day of On-Site Inspection will improve industrial safety awareness throughout society and serve as an opportunity to create safer workplaces.”

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