[The Editors' Verdict] Addressing Safety Apathy Is Not Enough

"I am concerned whether the fatal accident at POSCO E&C will cause problems for our project, and whether there are any safety issues."

This question was raised at a general meeting of a maintenance project association held on September 6 in Munjeong-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. This complex had selected POSCO E&C as its contractor several years ago, with two years remaining until the scheduled groundbreaking. An employee from POSCO E&C responded candidly, saying, "The safety inspection will be completed next month. We do not know what action the government will take in the future. For now, I understand that there are no issues with sites that have already signed contracts." What was particularly notable was his closing remark. Instead of ending with "Thank you," he bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry." The accident did not occur due to his negligence, nor was he required to apologize. Nevertheless, his apology was sincere. He was likely not the only one. With the fourth fatal industrial accident this year, POSCO E&C employees working at the 103 sites where construction has been suspended for safety inspections have probably bowed their heads in apology at least once or twice to someone.

This change was prompted by President Lee Jaemyung's comment that such incidents could be considered not merely "accidents" but "homicide." A month ago, during a cabinet meeting, the president remarked, "To put it bluntly, isn't this legally considered murder by willful negligence?" A week after this statement, he further instructed, "Find and report all legally possible measures, including construction license revocation and bans on public bidding." License revocation is the highest level of disciplinary action under current law. Aside from the 1995 Sampoong Department Store (Sampoong Construction) and 1997 Seongsu Bridge (Donga Construction) collapse incidents, such disciplinary action has never been imposed.

The sense of urgency regarding safety in the construction industry has reached its peak. Chief executive officers and executives in various fields are conducting safety inspections at sites regardless of weekends. If there are safety concerns due to extreme heat or rain, work is immediately halted. Some companies are providing rest areas for workers to escape the heat or strengthening individual safety training. The response after an accident has also changed. If a fatality is determined to be an industrial accident, a statement of apology is first issued under the CEO's name. Construction is then suspended, and safety inspections are carried out. In some construction companies, those responsible, from the CEO to the team leader in charge, have submitted their resignations to take responsibility for the accident.

However, accidents continue to occur. On September 6, a worker died at an apartment construction site in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. On September 5, there was a fatality at a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal construction site, and on September 3, a worker died while working at an apartment construction site in Seongdong-gu.

Simply addressing the lack of safety awareness is not enough to prevent accidents. Structural changes are needed to break the vicious cycle. The first thing to address is the lowest-bid system. When contracts are awarded to the company with the lowest bid, subcontractors cannot make a profit and end up cutting safety costs. The ordering party must also be held accountable for safety. Safety costs must be included in the bidding process, and the system of liquidated damages for construction delays must be improved. In particular, for private-sector projects, if construction is delayed due to safety-related issues such as extreme heat, there should be consideration to exempt liquidated damages. Re-subcontracting, which creates safety blind spots, must also be prevented. Now is the time to pursue institutional innovation as strong as the government's determination.

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