The labor authorities have arrested the CEO and site manager of a construction company involved in a fatal accident during the demolition of a mechanical parking facility in Gangnam, Seoul, which occurred in 2024.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on July 31, the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office arrested the CEO of the parking equipment construction company and the overall safety manager on July 25 on charges of violating the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
This marks the first instance of an arrest in the Seoul area under the Serious Accident Punishment Act. This year alone, there have been four arrests related to violations of the law.
In March 2024, during the demolition of the mechanical parking facility in Gangnam, a 15.7-meter opening was created as parking pallets and lift turntables were dismantled. An accident occurred when a worker was disassembling the lift gear, leading to a fall through the opening.
The Seoul office launched a search of the headquarters of both the primary and subcontracting companies to clarify the specific causes and responsibilities related to the accident. After analyzing the evidence collected and the accident investigation report from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, they determined that sufficient grounds existed to support the charges against the executives.
Concerns about evidence destruction and flight risk were significant, and the case was deemed serious due to the failure to implement basic safety measures that resulted in the fatality, prompting the request for arrest warrants.
The Ministry stated, "In cases related to serious accidents, even if they do not involve large fatalities, we will actively utilize forced investigations such as searches and arrests when basic safety regulations are not followed, leading to repeated incidents of a similar nature."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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