Criticism of Safety Management at Samsung C&T, GL Technology, and POSCO Construction Following Worker Death at World Cup Bridge Site

Seoul City Councilor Kim Yong-ho Criticizes Safety Management at Administrative Audit on 10th, Summons Samsung C&T, GL Technology, and POSCO Construction as Witnesses Regarding Worker Death at World Cup Bridge Construction

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Kim Yong-ho, member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council and vice-chairman of the Urban Safety and Construction Committee (People Power Party, Yongsan 1), raised concerns about the safety and buoyancy issues of the small work boats (pontoons) used at the site during the administrative audit of the Urban Infrastructure Headquarters under the Urban Safety and Construction Committee at the 315th regular session on the 10th. He summoned witnesses from the construction company Samsung C&T, subcontractor GL Technology, and the supervision team POSCO Development to address the drowning accident involving a worker during the World Cup Bridge construction.

City Councilor Kim Yong-ho (right) is questioning the Executive Director of Samsang Trading.

On October 24 at around 9:10 a.m., while two subcontractor workers were working on a site-fabricated work boat (pontoon) to reinstall the temporary bridge crossing Anyangcheon at the southern connection of the World Cup Bridge, one worker drowned in Anyangcheon.

During the administrative audit, Vice-Chairman Kim requested the attendance of representatives from the construction company Samsung C&T, subcontractor GL Technology, and the supervision team POSCO Development as witnesses regarding the drowning accident at the World Cup Bridge construction site. However, he expressed regret that the representatives responsible for the accident and who should have shown reflection did not attend in person but sent executives as proxies.

As proxies, Samsung C&T’s Executive Director, POSCO Construction’s Supervision Team Leader, and GL Technology’s Executive Director appeared as witnesses.

Specialized Inquiry on GL Technology

Before questioning, Vice-Chairman Kim expressed condolences and sympathy to the deceased and bereaved families of the drowning accident during the World Cup Bridge temporary bridge installation work. As a council member representing Yongsan, he also extended condolences to the 156 victims and bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy and wished a speedy recovery to the 198 injured, then proceeded with questioning the witnesses who appeared as proxies.

First, Vice-Chairman Kim questioned the GL Technology Executive Director, a subcontractor witness, about whether a prior safety review and risk assessment had been commissioned to an accredited institution and certification obtained for the pontoon (work boat) production and use. He pointed out, “Since the pontoon is on the work platform, the center of gravity inevitably shifts upward,” and added, “From examining the pontoon at the site, structurally, if work is done on the second floor, the center of gravity moves upward, making it prone to capsizing,” identifying the pontoon as one of the causes of the accident.

Inquiry to POSCO Construction Supervision Team Leader

Regarding the workers’ life jackets and safety belts, he said, “It seems they chose manual life jackets so that if workers fall into the water, they can pull the cord themselves to inflate the life jacket and float for rescue,” but added, “However, if someone falls unconscious underwater like the deceased, manual inflation life jackets are useless. I propose that automatic inflation life jackets with sensors be worn in the future to ensure workers’ safety.”

He also mentioned that the pontoon on the day of the accident was not equipped with safety tubes, stating, “I think the situation might have been different if safety tubes had been available,” and proposed, “When working on water, safety tubes must be provided to protect the precious lives of workers.”

Next, Vice-Chairman Kim questioned the POSCO Construction Supervision Team Leader, a supervision witness, about whether the Serious Accident Punishment Act was properly implemented on site. He criticized, “It seems POSCO Construction, as the supervisor, did not conduct initial, regular, or occasional risk assessments of the pontoons used on site.”

He emphasized that since this construction site involved waterborne work with pontoons floating on water, the supervisor should have meticulously guided and supervised the production, installation, and use by the construction company and subcontractor. He stated, “The supervisor’s negligence in managing the construction company and subcontractor violates Article 6, Clause 5 of the Construction Project Management Guidelines regarding the work rules of construction project management technicians,” and added, “This is subject to penalty points under Article 87, Clause 5 of the Construction Technology Promotion Act.”

Finally, Vice-Chairman Kim reiterated the importance of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, effective from January 27, 2022, to the Samsung C&T Executive Director witness, asking, “Are there any other sites under Samsung C&T that fall under this law?” He stressed, “When producing pontoons, subcontractors and supervisors must properly verify the product’s safety and risks before use. As the primary contractor, Samsung C&T needs to supervise whether subcontractors are appropriately using safety management funds and using safety equipment suitable for the work, such as sensor-equipped automatic inflation life jackets.”

He also said, “I heard that the agreement with the bereaved families includes full support for funeral expenses by the primary and subcontractors, and the funeral was completed on October 27,” and added, “From the bereaved families’ perspective, having suddenly lost a precious breadwinner, I hope negotiations are handled sincerely to avoid any grievances.” He urged, “Samsung C&T, as the top-ranked domestic construction company, should carry out its mission with a sense of responsibility and do its best to complete the World Cup Bridge.” He called on all witnesses to reflect the suggestions and criticisms on site.

Vice-Chairman Kim continued, “Although social awareness is increasingly emphasized daily to prevent industrial accidents and safety incidents, recent accidents such as the World Cup Bridge incident and Itaewon tragedy have caused many casualties due to safety negligence,” emphasizing, “I believe these incidents could be prevented if we paid just a little more attention.”

He particularly expressed, “The Urban Infrastructure Headquarters is responsible for all sites commissioned by Seoul City. Taking this accident as an opportunity, I hope the headquarters and responsible department heads do not just emphasize paperwork safety measures but frequently visit sites to directly check safety and practice safety management more thoroughly so that the World Cup Bridge can be completed promptly as originally planned.”

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