Lee Jae-myung, the president, pointed out the issue of successive industrial accident fatalities, and POSCO E&C announced on the 29th that it would issue a statement of apology regarding the accidents and establish a safety task force as a preventive measure.
Jung Hee-min, the CEO of POSCO E&C, held a press conference that afternoon at the Songdo headquarters in Incheon and said, "I deeply express my condolences to the deceased who tragically passed away in the accident that occurred yesterday at the 'Hamyang-Changnyeong expressway construction site' and sincerely apologize to the bereaved families."
In a subsequent Q&A session, a POSCO E&C official noted, "We judged that there are limitations in finding problems within the company's system due to this incident," and added, "We aim to form a safety task force that includes external safety experts and the safety department. We will quickly identify and address any safety issues and improvements within the company."
Regarding another preventive measure, he explained, "Executives from the headquarters are conducting safety inspections at all sites, and all position holders from the headquarters and the on-site business unit go out to check safety and work only when everything is confirmed to be safe."
On the support measures for the bereaved families, he stated, "We need to focus on settling the incident. One of those is the support and compensation system for the bereaved families," and added, "Our company has a dedicated department that will provide direct support."
He continued, "The bereaved families are understandably very confused and distressed, so we think they will need some time," and said, "Whatever the situation, we intend to prioritize the wishes of the bereaved families and ensure that compensation and support are sufficient so that they do not suffer from this accident."
At the POSCO E&C job site, four workers have died in four serious accidents this year. The incidents include a fall at an apartment in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, in January; a collapse at a construction site for the Shin-Ansan Line in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, in April; a fall at a mixed-use site in Daegu; and the previous day's accident where a worker was caught in a drill at the construction site of the Hamyang-Changnyeong expressway in Gyeongnam.
In response, President Lee Jae-myung criticized during a Cabinet meeting held that morning, saying, "They say this is the fifth industrial accident fatality at POSCO E&C this year. Isn't this murder by negligence?"