Search and Seizure Followed by Director Investigation... Pressure on Hyundai Elevator Over 'Fall Death'

Ministry of Employment Plans Supervision of Headquarters and Nationwide Construction Sites
"Regrettable That Subcontracted Worker Deaths Continue"
On the Same Day, Yojin Construction and Hyundai Elevator Raided

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 28th that it will conduct a planned inspection of Hyundai Elevator headquarters and nationwide construction sites following an accident on the 8th at the Hyundai Elevator installation site in Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, where two workers died.

Since 2019, Hyundai Elevator has experienced eight fatal accidents at construction sites, indicating a high risk of additional safety incidents.

First, the Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to check whether a company-wide safety and health management system is properly established and implemented at Hyundai Elevator headquarters and will suggest improvement directions for major deficiencies.

In particular, during the headquarters inspection, the Ministry will comprehensively verify any violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act by the headquarters and factories during the elevator manufacturing process and will focus on whether the primary contractor fulfills its safety and health obligations.

Simultaneously, inspections will be conducted at some construction sites where new Hyundai Elevator installations are underway.

The Ministry explained, "During construction site inspections, we will thoroughly check for any violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, focusing on elevator-related safety measures at the sites."

Additionally, the Ministry plans to examine whether the joint subcontracting method for elevator installation work is being operated legally and how this operation has affected elevator-related accidents.

To this end, the Ministry will also conduct a field survey on the elevator installation work process, including the division of tasks between Hyundai Elevator and its subcontractors and the work performance methods of installation workers.

Separately, the Ministry conducted inspections from the 16th to the 25th at six nationwide sites of Yojin Construction Industry, the primary contractor.

Kwon Ki-seop, head of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, "It is regrettable that fatal accidents involving subcontracted workers continue to occur at Hyundai Elevator installation sites, the industry leader," and emphasized, "We plan to proactively implement strong planned inspections to ensure that the safety and health management system operates properly from headquarters to the field."

According to the Ministry, the Gyeonggi branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting raids today at four locations: Yojin Construction Seoul branch, the site office, Hyundai Elevator Seoul office, and the Gangseo branch.

Previously, two workers installing elevators at the new construction site of the 2nd Pangyo Techno Valley office research facility in Seongnam fell from the 12th floor above ground to the 5th basement floor and died on site.

The Ministry plans to secure evidence to prove violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act through raids on Yojin Construction and Hyundai Elevator today.

The Ministry explained, "We will thoroughly verify whether safety measures under the Industrial Safety and Health Act were neglected to prevent the fall risk of elevator installation workers, as well as whether management fulfilled their ‘obligation to ensure safety and health’ under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act."

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