Subcontractor worker deaths fall 33% in H1, but prime contractor deaths rise

Subcontractor deaths drop from 127 to 85 in H1

Total fatal accidents also fall from 287 to 253

Subcontractor share falls from 44.3% to 33.6%, lowest since records began

Falls, being struck, entrapment still account for 72% of fatal accidents

An attendee holds a memorial sign and a red flower during a press conference held by the industrial accident victims' families network Dasineun ("Never Again") to mark World Workers' Memorial Day, in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on April 28.

The number of subcontracted workers killed in industrial accidents in the first half of this year fell 33 percent from a year earlier, data showed. The share of subcontractor deaths among total fatal industrial accidents also dropped into the 30 percent range.

However, deaths among prime contractor workers rose, and preventable accidents such as falls and entrapment — which could be avoided with basic safety measures — still accounted for the majority of cases.

The number of workers killed in industrial accidents fell to 253 in the first half of this year, down 34, or 11.8 percent, from 287 in the same period last year. The data came from a Ministry of Employment and Labor report submitted to Rep. Kim Ju-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee. The report, titled "2022-2026 Second Quarter Status of Fatal Accidents Subject to Disaster Investigation," was released Friday.

Of the total, deaths among subcontracted workers came to 85, down 42, or 33.1 percent, from 127 in the same period last year. Subcontractor workers' share of total fatal accidents also fell 10.7 percentage points, from 44.3 percent to 33.6 percent. This was the lowest level among annual and half-year figures released since related statistics began in 2022.

In contrast, fatal accidents involving prime contractors and other non-subcontracted workers rose by eight, from 160 to 168, over the same period. As a result, the overall decline in fatal accidents was concentrated among subcontracted workers.

On an annual basis, fatal accidents among subcontracted workers fell from 283 in 2022 to 260 in 2023, before rising again to 281 in 2024 and 282 last year.

Subcontracted workers' share of total fatal accidents stood at 43.9 percent in 2022, 43.5 percent in 2023, 47.7 percent in 2024 and 46.6 percent last year. Total fatal accidents last year came to 605, up 16, or 2.7 percent, from 589 the previous year.

By accident type, conventional accidents that could be prevented through basic safety measures still accounted for a large share of the total.

Among the 2,689 fatal accidents recorded from 2022 through the second quarter of this year, falls accounted for the largest share at 1,079 cases, or 40.1 percent. This was followed by being struck by objects at 296 cases (11.0 percent), entrapment at 282 cases (10.5 percent) and collisions at 281 cases (10.4 percent). These four accident types combined accounted for about 72 percent of the total.

By industry, construction accounted for the most deaths at 1,311, or 48.8 percent of the total. Manufacturing followed with 766 deaths (28.5 percent), and other industries accounted for 612 (22.8 percent).

The number of cases in which employers failed to submit industrial accident investigation reports also declined. Under current rules, employers must submit such reports to the Ministry of Employment and Labor within a month of an industrial accident. The report is required when an accident results in a worker's death or an injury requiring at least three days of work leave.

The number of detected non-submission cases fell from 1,157 in 2021 to 767 in 2022, 769 in 2023, 734 in 2024 and 569 last year.

Last year's detected cases fell 22.5 percent from the previous year. Fines imposed for such violations also decreased, from 7.32 billion won ($5.47 million) to 3.14 billion won over the same period.

However, separate verification is needed to determine whether the decline in non-submission cases actually reflects a decrease in the concealment of industrial accidents.

Kim said, "The fact that conventional accidents still account for a large share of all industrial deaths shows that safety measures at industrial sites remain insufficient." He added, "We should not settle for these results, but work to eliminate blind spots in labor protections and correct the distorted structure between prime contractors and subcontractors."

fact0514@heraldcorp.com