Pre-Major Accident Punishment Act 'Winter Asphyxiation Deaths' Inspection... "Caution for Concrete Curing Work"

Four out of ten industrial accident deaths over 10 years occurred in winter
68% of these died during concrete curing work due to collapse

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] One month before the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the government announced statistics on industrial accident fatalities over the past 10 years. A total of 168 workers were found to have died from suffocation while working, and four out of ten were construction workers. It was revealed that 68% of winter construction suffocation accidents occurred during the process of curing concrete using heaters or similar equipment.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 23rd that over the 10 years from 2011 to 2020, 195 suffocation accidents occurred, resulting in 316 casualties, of which 168 (53.2%) lost their lives. Winter accidents among construction workers were frequent. In particular, many deaths occurred during the thermal curing process, where heaters are used to protect and manage concrete until it hardens. By industry, the number of accidents was highest in construction (78 cases, 40%), followed by manufacturing (58 cases, 29.7%), and other businesses (35 cases, 17.9%). The number of deaths was 68 (40.5%) in construction, 52 (30.9%) in manufacturing, and 28 (16.7%) in other businesses.

Seasonal suffocation fatalities in the construction industry showed that 26 people died in winter (December to February), accounting for 38.2% of the total. This differed from other industries where suffocation accidents frequently occur in spring and summer. The Ministry of Employment and Labor analyzed that the increase in winter construction suffocation deaths was due to the concrete thermal curing process conducted only in winter. Of the 25 winter construction suffocation accidents, 17 cases (68%) originated from thermal curing work. The ministry explained, "During the curing process, the use of lignite, charcoal, etc., generates a large amount of carbon monoxide, and since tents or similar enclosures are used to prevent heat loss, ventilation is blocked, increasing the likelihood of suffocation accidents." They added, "Major cases of winter construction suffocation accidents involved workers entering curing spaces unprotected and being poisoned by carbon monoxide."

To prevent accidents, the ministry emphasized that harmful gas concentrations must be measured and confirmed to be within appropriate air quality levels (concentration below 30 ppm) before work begins, and workers must wear oxygen respirators or supplied-air masks. Managers are urged to prohibit workers from entering thermal curing work sites under any circumstances until such safety and health measures are verified. It is also important to actively introduce hot air blowers to reduce carbon monoxide generation. Kim Cheolhee, Director of the Industrial Safety and Health Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, requested, "Since suffocation accidents are treated not only as fatal accidents but also as representative acute poisoning under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, which will be enforced on January 27 next year, business owners and management officials must thoroughly fulfill their obligations to establish safety and health management systems to prevent such accidents."

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