It was found that seven business sites where serious industrial accidents occurred in the first half of this year had their criminal penalties finalized. Six responsible executives at those sites received suspended prison sentences, and one received a fine.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said on the 24th that it will disclose the details of serious accidents at Woojin Plaimm, Daum General Construction, Hongseong Construction, Jeongan Steel, Young Kwang, Hwanyoung Steel Industry, and Toriland on the ministry's website.
Under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, when a sentence for a serious accident is finalized and notified, the government may make public the name of the business sites where the accident occurred, the date, time, and place of the accident, the details and causes of the accident, along with the record of serious accidents over the past five years. So far, a total of 22 places have been disclosed.
According to the disclosure, at Young Kwang, a corporation in Ulsan, one worker died in Nov. 2022 after being struck by a lifted load that fell when a textile belt snapped. At Toriland, which was expanding the Ocean Hills Pohang CC Pine Course, one worker died in Mar. last year when an excavator transporting a pine tree tipped over sideways and struck the worker who was standing at that location.
Managers at these companies were held responsible for failing to prepare work plans including safety measures or for not controlling access to hazardous areas.
Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "With this disclosure, we hope corporations will recognize that violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act can be made known to everyone and that this will serve as an opportunity to prioritize workers' lives and safety in corporate management."