[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] The Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting an investigation into whether there was a violation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in the fatal accident that occurred at Korail.
On the 5th at around 8:20 PM, at Obong Station in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, A (33), an employee of Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) who was working on a freight train, died, and a worker in their 20s, B, showed symptoms such as hyperventilation and received emergency treatment.
The accident is reported to have occurred during the process of coupling and decoupling the freight train. This accident marks the fourth fatal industrial accident at Korail since the enactment of this law.
Previously, on March 14, at the train inspection depot in Daejeon, a worker died in an accident presumed to be caused by being caught between the underside of a passenger car and the rail, and on July 13, a worker inspecting a drainage channel at Jungnang Station in Seoul was struck by a train and died.
On September 30, a worker who was replacing screen door parts at Jeongbalsan Station in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, was hit by a train and received treatment at a hospital but passed away on the 14th of last month.
The police and Korail are investigating the detailed circumstances of the accident. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched an investigation into possible violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
Enforced since January 27 of this year, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act stipulates that if an industrial accident occurs at workplaces with 50 or more regular employees (or construction sites with a project amount of 5 billion KRW or more), employers or management officials who fail to fulfill their obligations to prevent accidents may face imprisonment of one year or more, or a fine of up to 1 billion KRW.
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