In the first half of this year, the number of fatalities due to industrial accidents was recorded at 287. The total number of deaths decreased compared to the same period last year. However, the number of deaths increased, particularly in the construction industry and among small business sites.
According to the preliminary results of the 'Accident Investigation Target Death Incident Occurrence Status' announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 21st, the number of accident fatalities reached 287 until the second quarter (January to June), which is nine less than the same period last year. However, the number of incidents that led to fatalities increased by 12 to a total of 278.
By industry, 138 fatalities occurred in the construction industry, an increase of eight (two incidents) from a year ago. This includes significant accidents such as the fire at a construction site in Gijang-gun, Busan, and the collapse of a bridge on the Sejong-Anseong expressway.
In contrast, there were 67 fatalities in the manufacturing industry, which is a decrease of 28 (three incidents) from the previous year. However, this seems to be due to a base effect from the large fire at the battery manufacturing company, Aresell, in June last year that resulted in 23 fatalities.
In other industries, there were 82 fatalities, an increase of 11 (13 incidents). Most of the fatalities occurred in companies involved in waste management and handling, as well as those managing facilities in apartments.
Among them, the number of foreign fatalities was 38: 18 in the construction industry, 12 in manufacturing, and eight in other industries. Foreign workers make up only 3.4% of total employees, yet their proportion among industrial accident fatalities approached 10%.
By business site size, the number of fatalities in small business sites with fewer than 50 employees (construction contracts under 5 billion won) accounted for over 60% with 176 deaths. This is an increase of 21 (24 incidents) from a year ago. In particular, the number of fatalities in micro businesses with fewer than five employees increased by 17. In establishments with 50 employees or more, there were 111 fatalities, which is a decrease of 30 (12 incidents).
The number of fatalities related to 'falls' and 'collapses' increased, while fatalities from 'being trapped' and 'overturning' decreased compared to the previous year. By region, Gyeonggi Province, where the percentage of workers is high, had the most fatalities (60), and in North Gyeongsang Province, the number of fatalities increased by 14 compared to the previous year, representing the largest increase among all regions.
The government plans to announce a 'Comprehensive Safety Policy for Labor' in early September to reduce deaths from industrial accidents.