Retaining Wall and Landslide Collapse Deaths... Safety Accident Inspection During Thawing Season

Ministry of Employment and Labor, On-site Inspection Day on the 21st

Last March, at a construction site in Cheonan, Chungbuk, a retaining wall measuring 4.5 meters in height and 34 meters in length collapsed, burying and killing three workers who were installing drainage pipes. In April of the same year, in Chilgok, Gyeongbuk, a worker who was checking the floor depth for sewer pipe installation lost his life when the slope soil collapsed.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it will operate a Site Inspection Day to prevent safety accidents during the thawing season. The thawing season (late February to early April every year), when ice begins to melt, sees many construction projects that were halted during winter resume or newly start, increasing the risk of fatal accidents. The number of industrial site fatalities from March to May last year was 86, a 24.6% increase compared to the same period the previous year (69).

An official from the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "During the thawing season, the frozen ground from winter melts, which can cause soil or rock collapses," adding, "It is necessary to take special care to prevent safety accidents by making excavation slopes gentle and installing earth retaining supports."

The Ministry distributes the "Thawing Season Construction Site Guide," which includes major fatal accident cases and key causes occurring during the thawing season such as soil collapse, along with core safety rules and key inspection items for construction sites to support workplace safety inspections. These materials can be accessed and used through the websites of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

Applications for participation in the "Industrial Safety Diagnosis" are also available. The Industrial Safety Diagnosis, which began in January to enhance workplaces' capabilities to prevent serious accidents, will be conducted until the end of April. After a self-diagnosis of the workplace's safety and health management system, customized support can be requested based on the diagnosis results.

Ryu Kyung-hee, Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters, stated, "During the thawing season, soil or structures can collapse, leading to major accidents, so more attention must be paid to safety and health measures than usual," encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises struggling to establish safety and health management systems to participate in the Industrial Safety Diagnosis.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor operates Site Inspection Days on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month, targeting three major accident types?falls at small and medium-sized construction sites, falls and entrapments in manufacturing?and eight major risk factors.