Park Hyun-cheol, CEO of Lotte Engineering and Construction, said regarding the worker fatality incident that occurred at an apartment construction site in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern to many people due to this incident."
On the 6th, CEO Park stated this in a statement. He noted, "We will halt all work at the site and actively cooperate with the investigation into the cause of the accident by related agencies."
CEO Park announced that to prevent future incidents, they would thoroughly investigate the causes and will work with external professional institutions to re-evaluate the safety system and improve any shortcomings.
He stated, "We will do our best to ensure that no further accidents occur by establishing follow-up measures such as special safety inspections across all sites and corresponding safety plans," adding, "Despite having prioritized safety and strengthened the safety management system, I feel deeply responsible for this incident that occurred."
He added, "We will do our utmost to support the bereaved families using all possible means available to ensure that there are no difficulties in the follow-up recovery procedures."
According to the police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, around 8:12 a.m. on the 6th, a worker in his 50s, affiliated with a subcontractor, was killed after being struck by an excavator bucket while performing water spray work near the excavation area at the apartment construction site being executed by Lotte Engineering and Construction.
The police are investigating the circumstances of the accident based on statements from site officials and CCTV footage.
The Changwon Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Major Industrial Accident Investigation Division and the Yangsan Branch's Industrial Accident Prevention Guidance Division are also investigating potential violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accident Punishment Act following the halt of work at the site.