Suspected Heat Illness at Ulsan LNG Terminal
Daewoo Engineering & Construction Halts Work and Pledges Full Cooperation with Investigation
An accident occurred at the third phase construction site of the Ulsan North Port liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, where a worker from a partner company collapsed and died.
According to Daewoo Engineering & Construction and other sources on September 5, at around 2:50 p.m. the previous day, a worker in his 40s lost consciousness and collapsed while cleaning the upper deck area of the LNG storage tank in Hwangseong-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan. A coworker immediately called emergency services, and the worker was transported to Ulsan University Hospital, but was pronounced dead at 8:54 p.m. the same day.
The police, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and other relevant authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident, including whether the Serious Accidents Punishment Act applies.
At the time, there were a total of eight people at the site, including two Daewoo Engineering & Construction employees. It was confirmed that one of the three workers cleaning together suddenly collapsed.
Daewoo Engineering & Construction issued a statement regarding the accident, saying, "We deeply apologize for losing a valued colleague in an incident suspected to be related to heat illness."
The company added, "We plan to determine the cause through an autopsy early next week," and continued, "Regardless of the autopsy results, we will conduct special inspections at all sites to ensure that activities such as checking workers' health conditions and exercising the right to stop work are functioning properly to eliminate risk factors and prevent similar incidents."
Daewoo Engineering & Construction also stated, "We will suspend all work at the site and actively cooperate with the investigation into the cause of the accident," and added, "Regardless of the cause of death, we will provide all necessary support to the victim and their family members, and take all responsible actions until the end."
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