[fn Editorial] Repeated Industrial Accidents, Need for Effective Measures Before Corporate Pressure

The government plans to reduce industrial accident fatalities to the average level of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) by 2030. Currently, the industrial accident fatality rate in our country is 0.39 per 10,000 people. The goal is to lower this to the OECD average of 0.29 per 10,000 people by expanding the right to stop work and introducing an industrial safety and health disclosure system. The government is recognizing the seriousness of the recent series of industrial accidents and is coming up with strong measures. President Lee Jae-myung emphasized again at a cabinet meeting on the 12th that industrial accidents are "social murder by implicit intent" and vowed to "definitely reform the backward 'industrial accident republic'."

Industrial accidents are disasters that take away workers' lives and hopes overnight. They must be prevented at all costs. However, the reason industrial accidents continue is that they do not occur within predictable ranges. As they are difficult to predict, precise and realistic preventive measures must be prepared first. However, punishment and pressure have been prioritized until now. The Severe Accident Punishment Act, which punishes the management of companies where industrial accidents occur, is a representative system.

Unusual events occurred after the electrocution accident of a Myanmar worker at POSCO E&C on the 4th. On the day after the accident, the 5th, the CEO of POSCO E&C resigned, taking responsibility for the severe accident, and the next day, President Lee issued a stern order to review the cancellation of the company's construction license. Two days after the president's directive, on the 8th, a subcontractor worker fell at a DL Construction site. On the 11th, three days after the accident, about 80 executives, including the CEO and Chief Safety Officer of DL Construction, resigned en masse. On the 12th, the police conducted a forced investigation by searching and seizing the headquarters of POSCO E&C and subcontractor LT Sambo.

As fatal accidents continue, construction sites have become chaotic. Construction sites nationwide of the companies involved in accidents have been closed. Other construction companies are also engulfed in fear of industrial accidents. POSCO E&C was the company with the fewest industrial accident fatalities among the top 10 construction companies over the past five years. However, this year, the company has experienced a series of accidents. Despite the president's reprimand, construction companies are focusing on accident prevention but are proceeding with construction as if walking on thin ice. They are reportedly so cautious that they are reluctant to take on new contracts. Subcontractors of construction companies where work has been halted are suffering losses but find it difficult to speak out.

Simply emphasizing punitive measures will not prevent industrial accidents and will only shrink the field. Construction company industrial accidents are also intertwined with complex structural issues such as the lowest bid system, subcontracting practices, and pressure to shorten construction periods. The frequent industrial accidents of foreign workers, which are increasing rapidly due to labor shortages, are also noteworthy. Construction companies often use unskilled, low-wage workers or cheap raw materials to save costs after winning contracts at the lowest price. The practice and structure of focusing on cost reduction must be improved to reduce industrial accidents. Since punishment is not the solution, more wisdom should be gathered to prepare effective preventive measures.