Gwangju collapse exposes failures in construction safety oversight

A construction accident occurred on Dec. 11 at a public library construction site in Chipeong-dong, Seo District of Gwangju, when a steel structure on the second floor collapsed during concrete pouring. Four of the 97 workers at the site were buried under the debris. Two were rescued but later died, and two others remain missing. A similar fatal accident occurred at the same site in June, when the site manager fell to his death during work. The fact that an even more serious industrial accident has happened only six months later raises questions about whether a widespread lack of safety awareness is to blame.

Police, after analyzing footage from the scene, believe the collapse occurred because the structure failed to withstand the load generated during the concrete pouring process, given that the entire frame gave way at once. They are also examining the possibility that welded steel members snapped under the weight of the concrete due to poor welding. Investigators confirmed that no support beams were installed during the pouring operation. The contractor claims it used a patented construction method that does not require support beams, but experts say that even with such a method, it is standard practice to install temporary supports to bear the structural load. This raises the need to investigate whether the work was carried out properly.

The four victims in the accident were Korean workers employed by subcontractors. Aside from a 47-year-old who died, all were in their 60s or 70s. The site manager who died in the earlier June accident was also 64. Last year, 42.4 percent of all workplace fatalities involved workers aged 60 or older. Older employees are particularly vulnerable to workplace hazards and illness. In 2021, the fatality rate per 10,000 workers was 0.67 for those under 55, compared with 2.65 for those aged 55 or older. Authorities need to evaluate whether current construction site safety measures adequately address the challenges of an aging workforce.

Coincidentally, the collapse occurred on the same day the Ministry of Employment and Labor was scheduled to brief President Lee Jae-myung on industrial accident prevention policies. Although the government has declared a “war on workplace accidents” and imposed stricter penalties, fatalities have continued to rise. While it can take time for policy measures to show results, it is notable that workplace deaths and accident rates have increased since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect in 2022, which holds business owners criminally liable for fatalities. Experts say truly effective prevention requires focusing less on punitive measures after the fact and more on structural issues, including illegal subcontracting and the aging workforce.