In connection with the collapse at Gwangju Metropolitan Library on the 11th, the Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office and Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency said on the 13th that they executed search-and-seizure warrants at the headquarters of Gu-il General Construction, the contractor, and other locations.
About 40 labor inspectors and police officers were mobilized for the raid. The labor office and police searched eight locations tied to six companies involved in the project—including the prime contractor Gu-il General Construction, reinforced concrete, supervision, and design firms. They secured construction-related documents, records of past incidents, and mobile phones of related personnel.
Police and labor authorities plan to closely examine whether the contractor properly implemented safety measures needed to prevent collapse risks while building with a patented method of pouring concrete without shoring supports such as form props.
Based on the evidence obtained through the raids, the labor office plans to verify work orders between prime and subcontractors, work methods, and the safety management system. It also said it will thoroughly determine the structural cause of the accident and hold those responsible to account if violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or the Serious Accidents Punishment Act are found.
The accident occurred at about 1:58 p.m. on the 11th when part of the construction site for the representative library collapsed at the former Sangmu incineration plant site in Chipyeong-dong, Seo District, Gwangju. Four workers were buried and died.