296 Industrial Accident Deaths in Q2... Increase in Manufacturing Due to Arisel Fire

Number of Deaths Increased by 2.4%
Construction Industry Declines Due to Economic Downturn

In the second quarter, 296 deaths occurred due to industrial accidents. Although the number of deaths in the construction industry decreased, the overall number of deaths increased compared to the same period last year due to rises mainly in manufacturing and other industries. The fire at the Arisel factory in Hwaseong in June caused a sharp increase in deaths in the manufacturing sector with 50 or more employees.

According to the provisional results of the 'Second Quarter Accident Death Occurrence Status' announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 29th, the number of accident deaths in the second quarter was 296, an increase of 2.4% (7 people) compared to the same period last year.

By industry, deaths decreased in the construction sector, which is experiencing a downturn, but increased in manufacturing and other industries. The number of deaths in construction was 130 (128 cases), down 11.6% (17 people) from the same period last year. Deaths in manufacturing increased by 17.3% (14 people) to 95. In other industries, 71 deaths occurred, an increase of 16.4% (10 people).

By business size, the number of deaths decreased in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees but increased in workplaces with 50 or more employees. Deaths in workplaces with fewer than 50 employees were 155, down 13.4% (24 people) from the same period last year. In workplaces with 50 or more employees, 141 deaths occurred, an increase of 28.3% (31 people).

In particular, in manufacturing workplaces with 50 or more employees, 61 deaths occurred, which contributed significantly to the overall increase. This figure represents a 110.3% (32 people) increase compared to the same period last year. This is due to the economic recovery benefiting some industries and the fire in June at the Arisel factory, a primary battery company in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which caused 23 deaths.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "We plan to faithfully implement the 'Safety Enhancement Measures for Foreign Workers and Small-scale Workplaces' announced through the Central Accident Response Headquarters to prevent similar fire and explosion accidents," and added, "we will mobilize all policy measures to manage industries with frequent accidents."

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