Contract Worker in His 20s Dies After Being Taken to Hospital
Police and Company: "Investigating the Circumstances of the Accident"
A contract worker in his 20s fell to his death at Hyundai Steel's Pohang No. 1 Plant.
At around 1:16 p.m. on the 14th, a contract worker in his 20s fell into a pot that receives molten metal slag at Hyundai Steel's Pohang No. 1 Plant in Jecheoldong, Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongbuk. Mr. A was transported to the hospital but died.
A company official said, "We are investigating the situation before and after the accident through on-site personnel. We will sincerely cooperate with the police investigation."
The police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident by questioning company officials and witnesses.
According to the Serious Accident Punishment Act, if one or more deaths occur within a business and an accident happens due to failure to ensure workers' safety, the business owner faces imprisonment of at least one year or a fine of up to 1 billion won.
Previously, in December last year, a worker in his 50s inspecting the by-product gas piping machinery at Hyundai Steel's Dangjin Steelmaking Plant suffocated and died due to a gas leak. In March 2022, a subcontracted worker in his 20s was crushed to death by a steel structure at Hyundai Steel's Yesan Plant. At that time, Hyundai Steel CEO Andong-il and others were sent to the prosecution on charges of violating the Serious Accident Punishment Act.
Hyundai Steel announced that it would enter an emergency management system starting today due to labor-management conflicts and the 25% tariff imposed by the Donald Trump administration in the United States. Hyundai Steel labor and management have been negotiating wages since September. Negotiations resumed yesterday but ended in failure.
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