Number of workplace deaths rises for first time in 9 years

The number of deaths through industrial accidents rose for the first time in nine years last year, government data showed Wednesday.

According to data compiled by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on 1.97 million workplaces nationwide, the number of workers killed in industrial accidents rose 65 from the previous year to 1,929.

The construction sector topped the list with 565 deaths, followed by the manufacturing sector with 459, and the mining industry with 380.

The index for fatal industrial accidents also rose to 1.25 in 2013, up 0.05 from a year earlier.

The figure of 1.25 indicates that there were 1.25 deaths through industrial accidents for every 10,000 workers last year. The figure had been falling, from 2.47 in 2004 to 1.20 in 2012.

The death toll of 1,929 in 2013 means that, on average, 5.3 workers died in industrial accidents each day, the highest rate among OCED countries, according to the government data.

Apart from deaths, 82,800 workers were injured in industrial accidents and 6,800 became ill through workplace hazards.

Market insiders blamed the accidents on companies not following safety regulations. For instance, in an inspection of Hyundai Heavy Industries, the Labor Ministry revealed more than 500 breaches of safety regulations.

The ministry also discovered more than 1,000 safety breaches at Hyundai Steel in July 2013.

“The large number of violations implies that the steel mill had not bothered to observe safety regulations at all,” an official said.

One reason for the gross disregard for safety rules is that the punishments meted out for violations are too soft, insiders said.

“As an example, the ministry only imposed penalties of 1 billion won ($910,000) on Hyundai Heavy and 670 million won on Hyundai Steel,” said a researcher.

He said penalties of that magnitude amounted to a slap on the wrist for large corporations.

“Under the current law, business owners are rarely sentenced to jail for fatal workplace accidents.”

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)