A Man in His 50s Found Under a Manhole in Gimhae Eventually Dies in Hospital

Ministry of Labor Reviews Application of Serious Accident Punishment Act

On the 15th, a Chinese man in his 50s who was found collapsed under a manhole while dredging a sewage pipe in Juchon-myeon, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, eventually passed away.

According to the Gimhae Western Police Station, Mr. A was performing dredging work to remove foreign substances from the sewage pipe under the manhole with Mr. B, who is in his 30s, around 3:40 PM. The dredging work involved inserting a hose from a dredging vehicle to suction foreign substances inside the pipe and clearing the pipeline with a high-pressure water jet, so workers did not need to go down into the manhole.

Despite this, the two workers belonging to a company contracted by Gimhae City were found collapsed on the bottom of the sewage pipe about 5 meters below the manhole on the roadside around 9:40 PM.

Mr. B was already deceased, and Mr. A was transferred to the hospital intensive care unit and treated but ultimately died on the 19th, four days later. The police found no external injuries from falls or similar causes on them and, based on the fact that they were not wearing safety devices to prevent inhalation of toxic gases, presumed that they suffocated due to toxic gas poisoning.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is currently reviewing whether to apply the Serious Accident Punishment Act regarding this accident, focusing on Gimhae City's safety measures and management responsibilities in directing the work.