55 fatalities reported at construction sites in Q1

Lotte E&C CEO Park Hyun-chul / Korea Times file

By Lee Kyung-min

A total of 55 workers died in accidents at construction sites in Korea during the first three months of this year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Monday. Seven of those fatalities occurred at construction sites overseen by the top 100 builders, down from 14 a year earlier.

Lotte E&C, the construction affiliate of Lotte Group, reported one worker fatality at one of its construction sites in the first quarter of this year. The death is a blow to not only the Lotte affiliate, but also its parent company, following a group-wide liquidity crunch in the fourth quarter of last year. The construction affiliate failed to roll over 3 trillion won ($2.2 billion) in asset-backed commercial papers (ABCP) related to the default of Legoland Korea. Its borrowing exceeded 4.46 trillion won last year, compared to 2 trillion won in previous years.

Deaths reported at sites that had construction orders from state-run entities came to 14 in the same period, up by three from the year before.

The ministry said a special inspection team will be dispatched without prior notice to the construction sites where the deaths occurred.

“The government will take strict disciplinary and punitive measures against construction firms and their officials for violations,” the ministry said in a statement.

Their subcontractors will also be closely monitored for possible violations of related safety laws.

The Lotte worker died at a construction site in southern Seoul’s Seocho District, after being struck by a falling object.

A worker at a construction site run by Seohee E&C in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, died of suffocation, while a Jungheung E&C worker at a construction site in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, died after a structural collapse.

“We will continue efforts to prevent further accidents,” a Lotte E&C official said.