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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Seoul, Korea – The construction industry is reeling under the pressure of the government's tough stance on serious workplace accidents. Following President Lee Jae-myung's strong policy on handling major accidents and intensified investigations by relevant authorities, many construction company executives and employees are stepping down in fear of potential legal and regulatory repercussions.
On the 12th, DL Construction reported that CEO Kang Yun-ho, Chief Safety Officer (CSO) Ha Jung-min, and all other executives, along with site managers and department heads from the head office, totaling about 80 individuals, submitted their resignations.
The mass resignations came after a fatal workplace accident at an apartment construction site in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, on the 8th, in which a worker fell to his death. The executives expressed their responsibility for the accident by resigning.
This incident follows closely on the heels of President Lee's directive two days earlier to impose severe sanctions, including potential construction license revocation, on companies involved in repeated fatal accidents, specifically targeting POSCO E&C, a company that had suffered several fatal accidents this year. POSCO E&C, which had already experienced four fatalities this year, saw a foreign worker electrocuted on a highway construction site on the 4th, and CEO Jung Hee-min resigned the following day.
There is growing concern within the construction industry that "safety accidents lead to executive resignations," and this fear has become widespread. With the government's aggressive push for legal action and administrative penalties regarding serious accidents, the industry is gripped by a "punishment phobia." Contractors, equipment suppliers, and material vendors are also anxious about potential accidents that could lead to delays or reduced work, further exacerbating the challenges faced by the sector.
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
