"Son Who Said He Would Earn Living Expenses After Taking a Leave of Absence Dies at Construction Site After Two Days"

Investigation into Compliance with Workplace Safety Measures and Other Matters

It was revealed belatedly that a man in his 20s in Busan died from a fall just two days after starting work at a construction site. The police and the Employment and Labor Office are investigating whether the workplace complied with safety measures.

According to multiple media reports on the 2nd, A (21), a second-year university student, was deployed to a new apartment construction site in Yeongdo-gu, Busan to earn living expenses after taking a leave of absence, but died in an accident on the 22nd of last month.

Busan Employment and Labor Office
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the day of the accident, A was installing ducts (pipes for heating and ventilation) on the 24th floor of the apartment when he fell through a hole in the duct and died. The fall height was confirmed to be about 86 meters, equivalent to the 24th floor of the apartment. Fire authorities, who were dispatched after a report from a fellow worker, transported A to the hospital, but he ultimately passed away. The accident occurred just two days after A started working.

A’s family, while worried about their son going to work at the construction site, had encouraged him to try it once since he was young, but they expressed their grief upon seeing their son return as a cold corpse after only two days. A’s mother told the local broadcaster KNN, "He was a child with many dreams who loved music, participated in the university band club, and performed busking," adding, "The sudden accident and his death have shocked the entire family." She also said, "He worked so hard and suffered so much, and my heart aches deeply. Rest peacefully in a place without pain."

At the construction site, there was another serious accident about a year ago in April last year, where a truck driver was crushed by rebar and died. Including this accident, two major disasters have occurred within about a year. However, the construction company and subcontractor in charge of the work reportedly attribute the cause of the accident to worker negligence.

The police and the Busan Employment and Labor Office are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident at the workplace, including charges of occupational manslaughter and violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act.