Builders shun 119 emergency calls

By Lee Kyung-min

Most construction companies refrain from making 119 emergency calls when workers are injured at their construction sites and instead call preferred hospitals directly, according to a survey from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

The survey, released Sunday, showed only 10 percent of construction workers received 119 emergency treatment.

While companies try to save costs and avoid media scrutiny, public criticism is mounting about workers’ lives being possible compromised.

Specifically, the death of a worker near a concert hall being built at the second Lotte World on Dec. 16 triggered a public outcry.

The man, surnamed Kim fell while working, according to a co-worker who said he saw Kim on the floor after hearing a dull thud.

Criticism then spiked over Lotte’s initial decision to send him to a hospital twice as far away as the nearest one, delaying prompt treatment.

There are many such incidents, NEMA officials said.

According to the report, 119 was used for 1,056 cases in 2011; 2,108 in 2012 and 2,112 in 2013.

The actual number of incidents reported to the Ministry of Employment and Labor was nearly 10 times higher over each period: 21,958 in 2011; 22,425 in 2012 and 22,644 in 2013.

The disparity highlights how construction companies reacted to emergencies, NEMA officials said.

They said that apart from the cases involving 119 calls, other people were denied swift medical attention.

According to the construction workers’ union, its members are instructed to follow specific rules regarding accidents.

“The safety helmet the workers wear has a hospital number on it. In case of an emergency, they are told to call that number, never 119,” a union member said.

Some industry people say the problem is made worse by a lack of regulations making it compulsory for companies to phone 119.

“So far, the safety instructions only state that prompt action should be taken, not how to expedite such a process,” a ministry official said. “If a mandatory 119 service use was adopted, then maybe more people could be treated more adequately.”