Next Year’s Serious Accident Punishment Act Enforcement... Construction Companies Say "Securing Safety at Construction Sites Is a Matter of Life and Death"

Taeyoung, Workers' Right to Stop Work Declaration Ceremony on the 7th
Previously, Samsung C&T and POSCO Also Institutionalized Guarantees
Over One Year Imprisonment for Management Responsibility in Case of Serious Accidents

Taeyoung Construction held a workers' right to stop work declaration ceremony on the 7th at all sites nationwide, with participation from headquarters executives and employees.
▲Photo by Taeyoung Construction

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Ahead of the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act next year, the domestic construction industry is putting all its efforts into securing safety at construction sites. While fully guaranteeing workers' right to stop work, they also plan to establish a system for reporting unsafe work demands.

Taeyoung Construction announced on the 9th that on the 7th, it held a workers' right to stop work proclamation ceremony at all sites nationwide with participation from headquarters executives and employees. This was the second nationwide event following the "Safety First Proclamation Ceremony" held at the Taeyoung Building in Yeouido on the 30th of last month.

The right to stop work is the right to halt work when there is an imminent danger of an industrial accident or when a serious accident occurs, as stipulated in Article 52 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. However, in practice, exercising this right on site has been greatly restricted due to loss costs and disadvantages caused by work stoppage.

This proclamation ceremony was a strong declaration of Taeyoung Construction's determination to achieve its goal of "Zero Serious Accidents" by enabling anyone who recognizes danger to immediately request a work stoppage.

Strictly adhering to COVID-19 prevention guidelines, the ceremony included the reading of a resolution by worker and employee representatives, followed by all attendees chanting slogans expressing their commitment to eradicating serious accidents. Both site workers and executives pledged to actively participate in creating a safe site by eliminating risk factors and conducting joint safety and health inspections to establish a safe and pleasant working environment.

A Taeyoung Construction official stated, "This proclamation ceremony embodied our commitment to valuing workers' lives above all else, and it was an occasion where all site members pledged to prioritize safety and create accident-free sites."

Earlier, Samsung C&T and POSCO Engineering & Construction also actively took steps to institutionally guarantee workers' right to stop work.

Samsung C&T's construction division plans to hold right-to-stop-work proclamation ceremonies at domestic and overseas sites to fully guarantee workers' right to stop work. They intend to apply this right comprehensively so that workers can easily exercise it even if the danger is not an imminent risk as defined by the Industrial Safety and Health Act, whenever they judge the environment or situation to be unsafe.

In particular, to resolve concerns about disadvantages, which have been the biggest obstacle to exercising the right to stop work, Samsung C&T will introduce practical compensation and reward systems. If work is halted and delays occur due to workers exercising their right to stop work, losses will be compensated to partner companies, and this will be reflected in construction contracts. Additionally, workers who actively participate in identifying and eliminating site hazards through exercising the right to stop work will receive incentives.

POSCO Engineering & Construction has also enabled workers to exercise the right to refuse dangerous work by requesting work stoppage when safety facilities are inadequate or unsafe conditions arise that prevent work from proceeding. Anyone, including partner company employees and all site staff, can immediately exercise this right by contacting the site safety officer, and the company explained that there will be no disadvantages resulting from this.

Furthermore, a Safety Report System will be newly established and operated at all construction sites nationwide. This system allows anyone, including partner company employees, to report unsafe conditions or demands for unsafe work witnessed on site via an external website or email. It also enables the submission of various suggestions for improving safety and health processes, systems, and institutional reforms to prevent serious accidents.

These changes are largely influenced by the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act next year. From now on, if a serious industrial accident such as a worker's death occurs at an industrial site, business owners and management officials will face imprisonment of one year or more or fines of up to 1 billion KRW. A Samsung C&T official said, "We will undertake extensive system and institutional improvements to activate the exercise of workers' right to stop work at all domestic and overseas sites."