500kg Structure Falls at Haman Paper Mill, Crushing Worker in His 50s to Death

At approximately 9:50 a.m. on December 30, a steel structure connected to an overhead crane fell about 5 meters at a paper mill in Chilseo Industrial Complex, Haman County, South Gyeongsang Province, crushing a worker underneath.

As a result of the accident, a subcontractor worker in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, was pinned by the steel structure and suffered severe head and other injuries. He was transported to the hospital but ultimately died.

The structure in question was identified as a steel platform weighing 500 kilograms, measuring 7.5 meters in width and 1.8 meters in length.

At the time of the incident, the factory was in the process of installing the platform. The steel structure was being moved, connected on both sides by slings (sling belts) to the overhead crane, when, for unknown reasons, one of the connected slings snapped, causing the accident.

The police are investigating the exact cause of the accident and whether there was any occupational negligence resulting in death, questioning factory officials and related personnel.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has also dispatched labor inspectors to the site to determine whether there were any violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act or the Industrial Safety and Health Act.