On February 23rd, an accident occurred at the Jeju National University dormitory construction site where an excavator was crushed by a falling structure during the demolition of an existing building. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daehyun] The CEO of the primary contractor has been brought to trial in connection with the death of a worker during the demolition work of the dormitory at Jeju National University. This is the first time that a management official in Jeju has been prosecuted for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
On the 30th, the Jeju District Prosecutors' Office announced that it had indicted B, the CEO of company A, the primary contractor responsible for the new construction project of the Jeju National University student dormitory under a lease-type private investment project, without detention on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Along with this, three construction company employees including the site manager of company A were indicted on charges including involuntary manslaughter due to negligence, and one responsible supervisor, as well as company A as the primary contractor corporation, were also brought to trial for violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act. However, considering the amicable settlement with the bereaved family, the indictment was made without detention.
Earlier, on February 23rd at around 10:10 a.m., Mr. D, a subcontractor in his 50s, who was subcontracted for demolition work at the new construction site of the lease-type private investment dormitory project at Jeju National University, was buried and died when a structure collapsed while demolishing a chimney about 10 meters high.
According to the work plan, the chimney demolition was scheduled to be the last step, but it was carried out on the first day. The prosecution judged that B failed to establish a 'safety and health management system,' and basic safety management rules were not followed during the construction process. The site manager and others did not conduct a prior investigation of the building structure, omitted the chimney from the work plan, and were found to be absent from the construction site at the time of the accident.
A prosecution official stated, "Since the scope of 'workers' protected under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act now includes 'subcontractors providing labor,' the CEO of the primary contractor, who could not be held responsible before the law was enforced, has been indicted," adding, "It is expected to serve as an opportunity to strengthen the protection of workers' lives and safety."
According to the current Serious Accidents Punishment Act, if a worker dies at a workplace with five or more regular employees, the business owner or management official may face imprisonment of one year or more or a fine of up to 1 billion KRW, and the corporation may be fined up to 5 billion KRW. However, companies with five or more but fewer than 50 employees are granted a two-year grace period, so the law is currently enforced for companies with 50 or more employees.
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