'Worker Fall Death' Onyu Partners, First Unfortunate Case of Serious Accident Disclosure

by Ju Sangdon

Published 27 Sep.2023 09:19(KST)

Accident Occurs While Working Without Proper Safety Measures Such as Safety Harnesses

Onyu Partners, a construction company based in Gyeonggi Province, has become the first subject of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 'Public Announcement of Serious Industrial Accident Occurrence No. 1.'

On the 27th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor publicly announced the occurrence of a serious industrial accident for the first time through the official gazette, in accordance with the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act.'

The Serious Accident Punishment Act aims to raise awareness of serious industrial accidents and urge caution toward companies where such accidents have occurred. When a serious industrial accident results in a confirmed sentence, the act allows for the public disclosure of the name of the workplace where the accident occurred, the date and location of the accident, details and causes of the accident, as well as the company's history of serious industrial accidents over the past five years.

The company subject to this announcement is a construction firm where a serious industrial accident (one worker fatality) occurred at a construction site in Gyeonggi Province in May last year, with the sentence confirmed in April this year. The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "The CEO of Onyu Partners failed to establish a safety and health management system, did not prepare a work plan to prevent falls during heavy lifting, and conducted work with insufficient safety measures such as safety belts, resulting in the accident." The construction company’s management was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year probation, and the corporation was fined 30 million KRW for violating the Serious Accident Punishment Act.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik said, "I hope this announcement spreads the awareness in industrial sites that companies where workers die on the job will bear an indelible social disgrace," and added, "The government will also do its utmost to reduce serious industrial accidents by firmly establishing risk assessments on-site and fostering a safety culture."

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The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to conduct public announcements twice a year, starting with companies whose sentences were confirmed and notified from January to June in the second half of the year, and those confirmed and notified from July to December in the first half of the following year.