Law firm YK said on the 27th that it signed a service contract with the Korea Construction Engineers Association to provide initial legal support to construction engineers when serious accidents or safety incidents occur at construction sites.
The Korea Construction Engineers Association has about 1 million construction engineers as members. The contract was prepared to support construction engineers such as site managers, who have difficulty receiving legal assistance immediately after an accident compared with major construction companies.
YK will establish a 24-hour emergency contact network for reporting accidents. When urgent incidents such as serious accidents are reported, it plans to assign a dedicated lawyer for each region within 30 minutes using its 31 offices nationwide and provide consolidation with the construction engineer.
However, not all reported cases automatically qualify for support. The association will review the urgency and severity of the accident and the need for legal support to decide whether to provide assistance.
Cases selected for support will be handled by a dedicated team composed of lawyers and relevant experts. The team will reconstruct the facts and work conditions at the accident site and support technical and legal responses, including assistance with initial statements and guidance on investigative procedures.
Even after the initial response, if investigations by the police or the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) continue or if additional responses such as criminal trials are needed, a separate retainer agreement will be signed with the parties to provide legal services.
YK noted that in construction site accidents, securing initial statements and on-site materials and analyzing the cause of the accident can influence determinations of liability under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, making immediate post-accident response crucial.
Cho In-seon, head of YK's labor serious accidents group, said, "Technical and procedural responses in the early stage immediately after an accident, when investigative agencies intervene, are key factors that determine future legal liability," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure that 1 million construction engineers do not suffer unfair treatment and can have their legitimate rights and interests protected."