[Exclusive] 296 workers died in industrial accidents at 20 major construction firms over the past five years; nearly half were from illness [Warning Signs for Diseases at Construction Sites]

[Financial News] Nearly 300 workers at South Korea's 20 largest construction companies have died in industrial accidents over the past five years or so. Deaths from illness, as well as accidents such as falls and collapses, accounted for nearly half of the total.
According to data on industrial accident deaths at the 20 major construction firms submitted by KOSHA to Rep. Park Soo-min of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly Committee on Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor, the number of fatal industrial accidents at those companies totaled 296 from 2021 through the first quarter of this year.
Of those, 152 were accident-related deaths, or 51.4% of the total. Another 144 workers died from illness.
The companies surveyed were Samsung C&T Corporation, Hyundai Engineering and Construction, GS Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Engineering, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, DL E&C, LOTTE Engineering & Construction, POSCO E&C, SK ecoplant, HDC Hyundai Development Company, Hanwha Group, Hoban Construction, DL Construction, KYE-RYONG CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD., Doosan Enerbility, Seohee Construction, Jeil Construction, Umi Construction, Ssangyong Engineering & Construction, and Hyosung Heavy Industries.
By year, total industrial accident deaths came to 59 in 2021, 56 in 2022, 38 in 2023, 57 in 2024, and 67 last year. This year, 19 workers had already died in industrial accidents in the first quarter alone.
Among illness-related deaths, cardiovascular disease was the most common, with 58 cases, or 40.3%. Occupational cancer followed with 46 cases, or 31.9%. Other causes included pneumoconiosis with 15 deaths, or 10.4%, mental illness with 8, or 5.6%, other chemical-related diseases with 6, or 4.2%, and asbestos-related diseases with 3, or 2.1%.
Traditional accident risks at construction sites, such as falls and collapses, also remained severe. Of the 152 accident deaths, falls were the most common at 51 cases, or 33.6%. They were followed by being struck by objects with 29 cases, or 19.1%, collapse with 21, or 13.8%, collisions with 16, or 10.5%, and entrapment with 13, or 8.6%. These five types of accidents accounted for 130 deaths, or 85.5% of all accident fatalities. Additional deaths occurred in accidents involving crushing or overturning, with 8 cases, falling into water or drowning, with 5, and electrocution, with 3.
Rep. Park Soo-min said, "We need to move away from a policy focused solely on punishment and encourage companies to independently strengthen their safety management capabilities." She added, "It is necessary to focus on incentive-based 'accident prevention policies.'"


[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter