Four Deaths This Year at Korail... Minister of Employment: "Thorough Investigation and Inquiry"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, has ordered Korail, the Korea Railroad Corporation, which has experienced four fatal accidents this year alone, to "thoroughly investigate and prosecute."

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 10th, Minister Lee stated, "It is a very serious situation that similar and identical accidents, where workers are struck or caught by trains, repeatedly occur at Korail, a public institution that should set an example for private companies," and instructed, "swiftly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute the causes of each major accident along with the structural problems of Korail's safety and health management system."

Accordingly, at 2 p.m. on the same day, the Ministry held a "Joint Investigation Meeting on Korail Fatal Accidents," chaired by the Director of Industrial Accident Prevention Policy of the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters, with participation from the heads of the Metropolitan Major Accident Management Divisions and responsible industrial safety inspectors from the Seoul, Jungbu, and Daejeon Employment and Labor Offices.

During the meeting, they reviewed the investigation progress of each Employment and Labor Office regarding the accidents that resulted in the deaths of four workers at Korail this year, and discussed investigative issues and structural problems in Korail's safety and health management system.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "Based on the findings from previous major accident cause investigations, we plan to conduct inspections of workplaces with hazardous operations, including those where accidents occurred at Korail," and added, "We will focus on checking violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, such as risk factors related to fatal accidents."

Meanwhile, at Korail this year, there have been a total of four fatal accidents: ▲ On March 14, a worker died after being caught between the wheel and rail of a departing train during inspection work at the passenger and freight car inspection yard (Daejeon Vehicle Office); ▲ On July 13, a worker was struck by a train while inspecting the drainage channel on the side of a station platform (Seoul Jungnang Station); ▲ On September 30, a worker was hit by a train while checking a screen installed outside the platform screen door (Gyeonggi Jeongbalsan Station); ▲ On November 5, a worker was struck by a train during the coupling work of a freight vehicle after cement unloading was completed (Gyeonggi Obong Station).