"232 Lives Lost in Local Government Construction Projects Over 5 Years" ... Kwon Young-se, Andong Mayor, Urges Preparation for 'Mediation Act'

Mayor Kwon Young-se of Andong City is ordering the preparation of countermeasures for the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwi-yeol] Kwon Young-se, mayor of Andong City, ordered the preparation of countermeasures in response to the enforcement of the "Serious Accidents Punishment Act" at the regular briefing held on the 2nd.

The "Act on the Punishment of Serious Accidents, etc." is a law that stipulates the punishment of business owners, management officials, public officials, and corporations who cause casualties by violating safety and health measures at workplaces and public facilities. It has been in effect since January 27.

This law distinguishes between serious industrial accidents and serious civilian accidents. It includes not only serious industrial accidents under the Industrial Safety and Health Act but also serious civilian accidents caused by defects in the design, manufacture, installation, or management of public facilities and public transportation means, making thorough preparation for facility safety necessary at this time.

The Supreme Prosecutors' Office also launched the "Serious Accident Advisory Committee" on the 21st of last month to gather opinions related to the interpretation and investigation of the "Serious Accidents Punishment Act."

Mayor Kwon said, "In the past five years, 232 people have lost their lives due to industrial accidents at construction sites ordered by local governments," and added, "We must urgently correct wrong practices and illegal behaviors such as safety negligence, poor construction to shorten the construction period, non-compliance with specifications, and illegal subcontracting at construction sites ordered by the city to prevent serious accidents."

He also stated, "Since the main purpose of enforcing the law is to protect the lives and bodies of citizens and workers through the prevention of serious accidents, a TF team should be formed to meticulously manage the preparation of work procedures, budget allocation, establishment of recurrence prevention measures, and inspection of mandatory compliance for safety and health to establish a prompt response system."

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