One Month Since the Serious Accident Punishment Act... Construction Sites Are Like Walking on Thin Ice Every Day

Sensitive to weather like snow, rain, and cold
No excessive night work on weekends
Accidents continue despite stopping construction and caution
Rising construction costs and concerns about construction periods

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Construction sites remain chaotic. Although work is reduced during hazardous weather, daily safety training is conducted, and efforts are made to stay focused, it is difficult to control hundreds of sites nationwide. The construction period and budget are fixed, but how to bear the increasing safety management costs is also a concern.

According to the industry on the 25th, there have been two known fatal accidents at construction sites in the past month. The construction industry has been cautious, suspending work for about 10 days during the Lunar New Year holiday right after the law was enacted, but consecutive accidents could not be avoided.

On the 8th, a fall accident occurred at the Pangyo 2nd Techno Valley construction site in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where Yojin Construction Industry was in charge of construction. Two workers from the elevator installation company working on the 12th floor fell to the 5th basement level when the elevator fell, resulting in their deaths. A week later, on the 16th, a 60-year-old day laborer fell at the Godeok Bridge construction site under construction by Hyundai Construction. He fell about 3 meters to his death after slipping while moving a hole cover on the bridge deck.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has issued work stoppage orders for these sites and is investigating violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The construction projects are worth 49 billion KRW and 300 billion KRW respectively, and if found negligent in securing safety and health, they will be subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. For the construction industry, the law applies to construction sites with a project amount exceeding 5 billion KRW.

However, both sites have controversial points. Even if Yojin Construction Industry is punished according to the law, direct punishment of the 'owner' is difficult because the CEO was replaced with a professional manager before the law was enacted. This has led to criticism that they used a loophole to evade responsibility. In Hyundai Construction's case, whether the deceased worker was performing work related to his duties will determine the application of the law. Hyundai Construction stated that the deceased was not performing any instructed work at the accident site. A representative from Construction Company A said, "When an accident occurs, it becomes a crisis for the entire company and the stigma cannot be erased, so we work with tension."

Since the law was enacted, construction sites have become especially sensitive to weather. Construction proceeds more cautiously during cold, rainy, or windy conditions. The site atmosphere has shifted to avoid excessive work on weekends or at night.

However, meeting the already fixed construction budget and period is a dilemma. A representative from Construction Company B said, "The law applies to projects started before its enactment, but the construction budget and period were set without reflecting safety management. It is difficult to figure out how to bear the additional costs and adjust the schedule. Are we just supposed to manage on our own?" A representative from Construction Company C also said, "If this continues, there will definitely be problems financially. Additional construction costs or extensions of the construction period must be institutionally guaranteed."

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