The Fair Trade Commission has launched an investigation into Kumho Engineering & Construction, following the deaths of two subcontractor workers at construction sites this year. President Lee Jae-myung's assertion that "repeated industrial accident fatalities constitute murder with implied intent" aligns with the directive to ensure that workers do not die while on the job.
According to industry sources on the 29th, the Fair Trade Commission conducted an investigation last week to determine whether Kumho Engineering & Construction had improperly shifted the costs related to industrial accidents to subcontractors. Under the subcontracting law, shifting the costs of treatment, compensation, and settlement that the primary contractor should bear onto subcontractors is prohibited.
The Fair Trade Commission plans to focus on investigating violations of subcontracting laws in the construction industry until September.
This year, two people have died at Kumho Engineering & Construction construction sites. On February 28, a worker in his 50s died after being crushed by a reversing excavator at the Dongbukseon urban railroad construction site in Dongdaemun, Seoul. On March 14, a worker in his 50s died after being struck by a falling piling machine at an apartment construction site being built by Kumho Engineering & Construction in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do.
In relation to this, President Lee noted during a Cabinet meeting on the 29th that "if deaths occur in the same way, it ultimately implies tolerating death." He further remarked, "It is said that there have been five industrial accident fatalities at a company called POSCO E&C this year" and questioned, "Is it acceptable for five people to lose their lives while working?"
President Lee stated, "We must permanently eliminate retrogressive accidents. I hope this year will be a turning point in eradicating industrial accident fatalities" and directed Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor to "resign if the number of industrial accidents does not decrease over a considerable period."
In this meeting, Chairperson Han Ki-jeong of the Fair Trade Commission stated, "If any legal violations are confirmed after the investigation, we will impose strict sanctions" and emphasized that "to prevent industrial accidents, the primary contractor must have a firm awareness that it is the main subject of safety management."
Chairperson Han noted, "The responsibility must not be shifted to subcontractors" and added that "shifting the safety expenses to subcontractors, or not paying them, deteriorates the management environment of subcontractors, which serves as a structural cause for severe accidents occurring among subcontractors."