The intensity of the regulations to disclose the list of construction companies involved in fatal accidents is expected to ease somewhat. Initially, the government's regulatory plan aimed to disclose all project names managed by the construction company in the event of a fatal incident, but this was halted due to recommendations for improvement from the Regulatory Reform Committee. The committee noted that "disclosing the construction company and the project name related to the accident alone can raise awareness about safety incidents" and pointed out that "disclosing all project names (that are not related to the fatal accident) would be excessive regulation."
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 25th, it has been confirmed that the ministry received recommendations for improvement from the Regulatory Reform Committee regarding the amendment to the "Construction Technology Promotion Act" concerning the disclosure of the list of construction contractors involved in fatal accidents.
A representative from the ministry said, "There are recommendations for improvement from the regulatory committee regarding the disclosure of the fatal accident list, so we have revised the Construction Technology Promotion Act accordingly."
Since fatal accidents have persisted at construction sites, the ministry decided to re-pursue the disclosure of the list of construction companies involved in fatal accidents last February. This decision comes after the list's disclosure was halted due to a lack of regulatory basis since the fourth quarter of 2023. To enhance the safety awareness of construction company chief executive officers, the ministry decided to disclose not only the list of construction companies but also all project names associated with those companies.
In 2022, there were 238 fatalities from construction accidents. There were 244 deaths in 2023, and 207 in 2024 due to construction accidents.
However, this plan by the ministry did not fully pass the regulatory review. The Regulatory Reform Committee decided during its review of the amendment to the Construction Technology Promotion Act that "disclosing all awarded project names outside of the accident site could lead to disadvantages for subcontractors or buyers unrelated to the accident, so we recommend removing the disclosure of all awarded project names."
The ministry conveyed to the regulatory committee that it is "a measure to ensure that CEOs directly take an interest in safety management and work on improvements," adding that "there is a need to disclose this to demonstrate the government's firm and proactive commitment to safety issues," but the regulatory committee judged that the level of regulation is excessive.
The Regulatory Reform Committee also recommended that appropriate provisions be made to exclude cases from the disclosure target with reasons prescribed by presidential decree, such as when accidents are not the responsibility of the contractor.
The ministry plans to reflect these recommendations from the Regulatory Reform Committee in the amendment to the Construction Technology Promotion Act, undergo deliberation by the Ministry of Government Legislation, and then proceed to the cabinet meeting for implementation.