As major construction companies ramp up their response to industrial accidents, critics say small construction sites are falling through the cracks. Most fatal accidents occur at small sites with construction costs under 5 billion won, but government measures are focused on sanctioning large firms.
According to "Status of fatal and safety accidents by construction scale" submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Yoon Jong-kun's office on the 12th, a total of 212 people died at small construction sites with costs under 5 billion won last year. That is 64.6% of all construction worker deaths (328).
A similar pattern appears in the total number of industrial accidents, including safety incidents. The number of accidents at sites under 5 billion won was 14,240, exceeding the combined total for all other scales (10,912).
In 2023, small-site fatalities accounted for 68.5%, 69.4% in 2022, and 71.4% in 2021. The smaller the scale, the higher the relative risk of fatal accidents.
Industry officials say this stems from poor safety conditions at small and mid-sized sites. Under current law, sites with construction costs under 5 billion won are not required to appoint a safety manager, leaving safety management structurally vulnerable.
Yoon Jong-kun said, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local labor offices, and local governments must work organically to build staffing and budget systems that make ongoing inspections possible," adding, "Policies to establish a safety net for small sites should also proceed in parallel."