Fire Safety Manager Died from Overwork Due to 'Complicated Report Format'... Court: 'Work-Related Accident'

[Financial News] The court ruled that the death of a fire safety manager due to increased workload from changes in report formats should be recognized as a work-related accident.
According to the legal community on the 27th, the Administrative Division 3 of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Choi Soo-jin) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the late Mr. A's spouse, Ms. B, against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, seeking to cancel the denial of survivor benefits and funeral expenses on April 25.
Mr. A was found dead at home in April 2021 while working as a fire safety manager. The autopsy suggested the cause of death was 'acute heart failure'.
Ms. B applied for survivor benefits and funeral expenses, claiming her husband's death was a work-related accident, but the corporation denied the claim in December 2022, stating that the causal relationship between work and death could not be recognized. Ms. B then filed an administrative lawsuit.
The court found that Mr. A's death was a work-related accident due to overwork and stress. It considered that although Mr. A did not meet the legal standards, there were circumstances of changed working conditions and overwork at the time.
The court stated, "The working hours during the week before Mr. A's death increased by about 21% compared to the average working hours over 12 weeks, which slightly falls short of the short-term overwork standard (30% increase in workload) set in this case, but it is recognized that the workload increased significantly."
It also noted, "Mr. A usually returned to the office after business trips to do about 2 more hours of paperwork and left work around 8 PM, and overtime was very frequent," adding, "It is likely that the actual working hours were more than what the defendant calculated."
Particularly, the increased workload of Ms. B was emphasized. The court explained, "In April 2021, the fire-related laws were amended, changing the reports Mr. A had to prepare to 'Fire Facility Self-Inspection Result Report', significantly increasing both inspection and preparation items."
It further stated, "Although it is difficult to quantitatively evaluate the changes in Mr. A's working environment, it is reasonable to consider that it significantly increased the work-related burden on Mr. A."
The court also considered that two other fire safety managers at the same workplace had resigned after performing related tasks, concentrating the workload on Mr. A. Additionally, it was noted that the unusual circumstances, such as the argument with the company representative over weekend business trips the day before Mr. A's death, were mentally burdensome.
 




scottchoi15@fnnews.com Choi Eun-sol Reporter