Hold executives more accountable for mishaps
Workers have continued to fall victim to industrial accidents despite efforts to increase safety practices in the workplace. A 40-year-old subcontractor at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Ulsan plant died following a fall while engaged in welding work Saturday morning, Parents' Day. That afternoon, a 43-year-old regular worker at Hyundai Steel's Dangjin plant died in an accident while working alone on machinery.
These mishaps came following an accident on April 22 in which a university student died while working on a pier at Pyeongtaek Port. This means that three people died in industrial accidents over a two week period despite the legislation of an act to penalize businesses responsible for such fatalities and the first hearing on industrial disasters at the National Assembly Feb. 22.
Among other companies, HHI is notorious for industrial incidents. Saturday's victim was the sixth death since last year. In May 2020, a subcontractor in his 30s died from suffocation while doing welding work, a day after a special inspection by the labor ministry. It's dumbfounding that the shipbuilder has failed to reduce fatal accidents despite the authorities' efforts to ensure workplace safety.
Hyundai Steel has gained notoriety as the "plant of death" with its death toll from workplace accidents reaching 30 since 2010. The labor ministry recently also conducted a special inspection of Taeyoung E&C where three fatal industrial accidents have occurred in the first quarter alone, during which 59 safety violations were uncovered.
All of this shows that real workplace safety is still a long way away here as long as companies remain unresponsive to accidents. The best way to prevent the recurrence of these industrial mishaps is to hold corporate executives more accountable for any ensuing fatalities. Labor and management are at odds over the scope and concrete obligations of executives in the run-up to the January 2022 enforcement of the law penalizing companies for fatal accidents. The labor ministry should take the initiative in making executives more responsible for industrial disasters in the process of working on the law's enforcement decrees.
Workers have continued to fall victim to industrial accidents despite efforts to increase safety practices in the workplace. A 40-year-old subcontractor at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Ulsan plant died following a fall while engaged in welding work Saturday morning, Parents' Day. That afternoon, a 43-year-old regular worker at Hyundai Steel's Dangjin plant died in an accident while working alone on machinery.
These mishaps came following an accident on April 22 in which a university student died while working on a pier at Pyeongtaek Port. This means that three people died in industrial accidents over a two week period despite the legislation of an act to penalize businesses responsible for such fatalities and the first hearing on industrial disasters at the National Assembly Feb. 22.
Among other companies, HHI is notorious for industrial incidents. Saturday's victim was the sixth death since last year. In May 2020, a subcontractor in his 30s died from suffocation while doing welding work, a day after a special inspection by the labor ministry. It's dumbfounding that the shipbuilder has failed to reduce fatal accidents despite the authorities' efforts to ensure workplace safety.
Hyundai Steel has gained notoriety as the "plant of death" with its death toll from workplace accidents reaching 30 since 2010. The labor ministry recently also conducted a special inspection of Taeyoung E&C where three fatal industrial accidents have occurred in the first quarter alone, during which 59 safety violations were uncovered.
All of this shows that real workplace safety is still a long way away here as long as companies remain unresponsive to accidents. The best way to prevent the recurrence of these industrial mishaps is to hold corporate executives more accountable for any ensuing fatalities. Labor and management are at odds over the scope and concrete obligations of executives in the run-up to the January 2022 enforcement of the law penalizing companies for fatal accidents. The labor ministry should take the initiative in making executives more responsible for industrial disasters in the process of working on the law's enforcement decrees.
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