Joo Woo-jung, CEO of Hyundai Engineering, reportedly went to the National Assembly on the 13th to apologize for the recent construction site accidents and to present measures to prevent recurrence. Originally, a current issue inquiry was scheduled regarding the bridge accident during the Sejong~Anseong Expressway construction last month, and with the additional fatal accident of a worker at an apartment construction site in Pyeongtaek on the 10th, it is expected that there will be criticism about the lack of safety awareness both inside and outside the company.
Joo Woo-jung, CEO of Hyundai Engineering (center), and employees are bowing their heads in apology on the 28th of last month at the headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, regarding the accident on the Sejong-Anseong Expressway. Photo by Yonhap News
According to explanations from the offices of ruling and opposition members of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, a plenary meeting dealing with the special law on the passenger plane disaster is scheduled on the same day, along with a current issue inquiry related to the Sejong~Anseong Expressway accident. Representatives from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Administrative City Construction Agency, the Saemangeum Development Agency, and affiliated public institutions, as well as Hyundai Engineering and Jangheon Industry, the main contractor and subcontractor for the Sejong~Anseong Expressway construction, are scheduled to attend. A Hyundai Engineering official stated, "We understand that measures to strengthen safety for on-site workers in relation to construction site accidents are being prepared."
Earlier, on the 25th of last month, the expressway accident resulted in 4 deaths and 6 injuries, causing significant casualties. The authorities are still investigating the specific causes and details of the accident. Three days after the accident, on the 28th of last month, CEO Joo held a briefing for the press and apologized to the victims and their families. At that time, he stated that they would actively cooperate with the investigation and present measures to prevent recurrence of such accidents.
Meanwhile, at a new apartment construction site in Pyeongtaek, an accident on the 10th resulted in 1 death and 1 injury. It is presumed that the fatality occurred due to a fall while dismantling a large exterior formwork using a tower crane. Both casualties were employees of subcontractors.
At the site of the bridge deck collapse accident during the construction of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, which resulted in 10 casualties, police, the National Forensic Service, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, the National Disaster Safety Research Institute, and the Land Safety Management Institute conducted a joint on-site investigation on the 28th of last month to determine the cause of the accident. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, Joint Coverage Team
As fall accidents at construction sites continue unabated, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, along with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korea Construction Association, and the Korea Construction Safety Society, jointly announced a public-private countermeasure last month to prevent fall accidents. Although systems have been established and safety culture is being emphasized throughout the sites, accidents still frequently occur.
Kim Tae-byeong, Director of Technical Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, emphasized, "More than any system improvement or support, it is most effective for the CEOs and executives of construction companies to take an interest and personally visit the sites to check the safety of workers engaged in high-risk tasks where accidents frequently occur."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
