Preventing Major Accidents... Ministry of Justice Publishes 'Safety Accident Case Analysis Collection'

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Ministry of Justice's "Serious Safety Accident Response Task Force (TF)" announced on the 19th that it has published the "Major Serious Safety Accident Case Analysis Collection." This is an analysis of 16 major safety accidents that occurred over the past five years ahead of the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act on the 27th, aimed at preventing similar types of accidents.

Previously, the Ministry of Justice formed and operated the "Serious Safety Accident Response TF" in July last year to review the step-by-step process from the occurrence of serious accidents and safety incidents to case disposition, trial, and victim support, and to establish a prevention system framework.

The TF has discussed strengthening cooperation with related agencies from the early stages of accident occurrence, reorganizing guidelines for handling unnatural death cases, redefining sentencing standards, preventing similar safety accidents through analysis of major statistics and cases, enhancing the capabilities and expertise of investigators, and establishing a legal support system related to serious accident victims.

The casebook prepared this time includes analyses of 16 accidents such as the 2020 fire incident at the Icheon logistics center new construction site and the 2019 building collapse incident during demolition in Jamwon-dong. It also contains data on the status of major safety accidents by accident type and analysis of industrial accident death statistics related to occupational accidents.

Going forward, the TF plans to share the casebook with related agencies such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and discuss practical institutional improvement measures at the field level. The casebook will also be distributed to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and frontline prosecutors' offices as a reference material for investigation work.

A Ministry of Justice official stated, "We will do our best to ensure that the Serious Accident Punishment Act is properly enforced and settled so that a safe society can be created."