Samsung Heavy Industries has been ordered to shut down operations on its main plant in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, following a series of deadly accidents caused by safety lapses. The Ministry of Employment and Labour announced that a 58-year-old laborer was killed when construction materials ― 1.5 tons of H-beam steel ― from a crane fell on him at a Samsung Heavy shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province on Saturday morning, May 4.
Specifically, the fatal incident occurred only a day after another employee was hit by a wire rope at the shipyard. The 43-year-old laborer was rushed to a nearby hospital, but is in a critical condition.
According to Korea Times, a Samsung Heavy official reported that the shipbuilder will abide with the labor ministry’s suspension order and will do everything it can to prevent any safety incidents at its shipyards.
The official highlighted
The recent incidents are very unfortunate and we express our condolences to the bereaved family. We will take all possible measures to create an accident-free workplace.
The incidents are probably to tarnish the image of Korea’s third-largest shipbuilder as workers there have been killed in similar incidents in the past.
A Solidarity for Worker’s Health official noted
The incidents could have been prevented if the shipbuilder had complied with very basic safety measures. Although Samsung Heavy has enough resources to invest in improving safety measures, it has been negligent in improving worksite conditions, leaving laborers at risk of another deadly accident.
The Q1 for SHI saw 1.45 trillion won in sales, meaning $1.25 billion, experiencing an increase of 17.4% from 2018.
Concluding, Korea has the highest numbers of workers killed in industrial accidents among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
In an average year more than 1,000 workers are killed in accidents at their workplaces, and about 76 percent of those deaths are of temporary workers.
