Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor visited a construction site in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, on the 22nd to check safety conditions.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Minister Kim visited the construction site around 3:10 p.m. without prior notice.
He inspected safety rules to prevent falling accidents while directly touring the construction site that day. Falling accidents account for 57.6% of fatal incidents in construction projects.
On that day, it was reported that safety rails were not properly installed during the formwork and stair installation work, and that working platforms were not securely fixed during the scaffolding work.
In response, Minister Kim met with site officials after the inspection and ordered the correction of any legal violations. He noted, "To break free from the stigma of being a 'republic of industrial accidents,' our approach to worker safety must change from the past," adding, "We will strictly punish incidents arising from repeat falls, entrapments, collapses, and accidents that occurred through discrimination without tolerance."
Minister Kim plans to conduct such surprise inspections and supervision once a week in the future. He also mentioned during a cabinet meeting that he would report these findings each week at the cabinet meetings.
A Ministry of Employment and Labor official said they plan to swiftly launch the 'Safe Workplace Project' to closely manage high-risk business sites and to strictly address any illegal activities.