By Kim Bo-eun
Samsung Engineering, Taeyoung and Hyundai Heavy Industries had the largest number of industrial deaths in Korea last year, the labor ministry said Wednesday.
The companies were among 748 firms posted on the Ministry of Employment and Labor website that had poor levels of industrial safety.
Three workers were killed at Samsung Engineering, one at a company site and two at subcontractors. Three workers were killed at a subcontractor site of Taeyong and two at a subcontractor of Hyundai Heavy Industries. There were 21 other firms at which at least two workers were killed.
A total of 635 firms were included on the list of those that had serious accidents. A serious accident is defined by law as producing at least one death, or at least two injuries that take at least three months to recuperate from, or work-related diseases suffered by at least 10 workers.
Also on the list were Daelim, GS E&C, Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan factory and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries’ subcontractor. There were also local governments such as Songpa District Office and Taebaek city government, as well as public companies including Seoul Metro and Incheon Transit Corporation.
In addition, the number of firms that had at least two industrial accidents in the past three years but failed to report them came to 80 firms. They include Hyundai Construction’s Shin Hanul nuclear reactor site, LG Display’s Paju establishment and Kolon Industries’ Gimcheon factory.
Moreover, there were nine firms that had major accidents such as leaking harmful substances, fires or explosions which harmed workers or caused havoc for adjacent areas.
According to the ministry, construction companies accounted for the largest number of firms with poor safety management, followed by machine manufacturing and chemical product manufacturing.
Poor safety management was mostly seen at small firms employing less than 100 workers _ they accounted for over 80 percent of the companies on the list.
The labor ministry has been disclosing this list since 2004, in order to raise awareness of the outbreak of industrial accidents and prevent them from occurring. There are 3,163 firms on the list so far.
The ministry said it would supervise and subject firms with poor safety management to judicial action, while also providing guidance to prevent accidents from occurring.