One Month Since the Serious Accident Punishment Act... 94 Workers Have Died This Year

Industrial Accident Deaths '96 → 94'
10 Fewer Deaths Since Law Enforcement
Construction Declined but Manufacturing Increased

Managers are conducting a safety inspection at an apartment construction site in Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

This year, the number of workers who died from industrial accidents has reached 94. This is two fewer than the same period last year. There are concerns that the accident prevention effect of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which was enforced on the 27th of last month, is falling short of expectations.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 27th, from January 1 to the 26th of this month, there were a total of 82 fatal worker accidents in industrial sites, a decrease of 12 cases compared to the same period last year (94 cases). The number of deaths was 94, only two fewer than the 96 deaths during the same period last year.

Before the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, from January 1 to 26 this year, a total of 52 people died, which is 8 more than the 44 deaths in the same period last year. This was influenced by large-scale accidents such as the HDC Hyundai Development Company apartment collapse accident, which claimed the lives of 6 workers. However, after the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, from the 27th of last month to the 26th of this month, a total of 42 people died, a decrease of 10 deaths compared to the same period last year.

The number of deaths at workplaces subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which includes workplaces with 50 or more regular workers (and construction sites with projects worth 5 billion KRW or more), was 15. This is 5 fewer than the 20 deaths during the same period last year.

By industry, in construction, the number of deaths subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act was 6, a decrease of 5 from 11 in the same period last year. However, in manufacturing, 6 people died, doubling from 3 last year. This was influenced by a burial accident at the Sampyo Industrial quarry in Yangju, where 3 people died, among other major accidents occurring since the beginning of the year.

With a slight decrease in deaths since the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the Ministry of Employment and Labor evaluated that "except for the slight increase in manufacturing deaths, an overall downward trend continues across all industries and scales." However, since more than 90 deaths still occurred this year, some opinions suggest that the effect is not significant. In particular, the figures announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor exclude 16 cases of occupational disease (acute poisoning) that occurred on the 16th at an air conditioner parts manufacturing company in Changwon, Gyeongnam.

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