The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and police on the 11th raided three locations, including a cleaning company in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, suspected of tampering with the scene of a serious industrial accident.
On the 1st, a worker fell to death while riding a boatswain's chair to apply silicone waterproofing to a window frame on the 15th floor of an apartment building in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Officials at the apartment exterior cleaning company to which the worker belonged are suspected of tampering with the scene of the serious accident after it occurred.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, anyone who damages a scene where a serious accident occurred or obstructs a cause investigation may face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
About 15 people, including labor inspectors from the Daejeon Regional Employment and Labor Office and police from the North Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency, were mobilized for the raid. Through the raids on the three companies related to the accident, authorities are securing officials' mobile phones and personal computers (PCs) and closed-circuit (CC)TV footage.
The ministry said, "Based on the evidence, we will rigorously investigate whether safety measures to prevent worker falls were properly implemented during boatswain's chair work and whether there were violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act," adding, "For acts in which business owners, who have a responsibility to protect workers, attempt to evade responsibility for accidents by tampering with the scene, we will apply a zero-tolerance principle, actively use compulsory investigations, and thoroughly examine any legal violations."