Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor visited POSCO E&C, where the 4th industrial accident fatality occurred this year, and said, "We must no longer think of people and safety as an expense." Minister Kim mentioned during his visit to the POSCO E&C headquarters in Songdo, Incheon, on the 31st, that "4 workers have not returned home from their workplace this year alone."
He noted, "The government of Lee Jae-myung deeply recognizes that it is the government's duty to ensure the life and safety of the people, and it is committed to reducing serious industrial accidents. If we cannot reduce this, I have no reason to be here."
He added, "It is no longer acceptable for accidents that can be sufficiently predicted and prevented to occur," and stated, "The types of accidents at POSCO E&C are mostly recurring issues typical of undeveloped countries, such as falls and getting caught."
Minister Kim referred to his previous visit to SPC, where worker fatalities had repeatedly occurred, saying, "What is important for reducing serious industrial accidents is accurate identification of the causes." He mentioned, "While the accidents at SPC seem, on the surface, to have occurred because workers did not follow safety rules, the underlying issue was low wages and long, late-night labor."
He emphasized, "If accidents are occurring repeatedly at POSCO E&C compared to other corporations, isn't it a concern of the president to say that this is not just coincidence?" He added, "The problem is that we must prevent recurrence. Labor, management, and the government must exert all efforts to prevent recurrence."
He pointed out, "The construction industry inherently involves many dangerous tasks, and there is a structural problem that the risks become more severe as they trickle down due to multi-tier subcontracting." He noted, "The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Employment and Labor will collaborate to establish fundamental measures."
Minister Kim stated, "The most promising point where pro-labor can become pro-business is work safety," and added, "The issue of serious industrial accidents is a matter of national dignity, and this government considers the reduction rate of industrial accident fatalities as an important value metric equivalent to economic growth rate." He further urged, "I sincerely appeal that we will show the public a different aspect from the past."