Reports cover 2023 incidents with final rulings; cumulative releases reach 168

Searchable by industry, company size and region; first batch surpasses 50,000 views

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon lays flowers at a memorial tower for industrial accident victims at Boramae Park in Seoul on Sept. 28. [Yonhap]
Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon lays flowers at a memorial tower for industrial accident victims at Boramae Park in Seoul on Sept. 28. [Yonhap]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has released 117 additional accident investigation reports detailing the circumstances, causes and prevention measures for serious workplace accidents — and plans to gradually publish reports on cases still under active trial, not just those with final rulings.

The ministry said Wednesday it added the 117 reports to its website so workplaces can use real accident cases to strengthen safety practices. Combined with the 51 reports first published on May 27, the total number of publicly available reports now stands at 168.

Accident investigation reports are documents compiled by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency or relevant experts whenever a serious industrial accident occurs. They cover the sequence of events, the underlying causes and recommended measures to prevent recurrence. Workplaces can use them to examine accidents in the same or similar industries, identify hazards and make improvements.

The newly added reports cover serious accidents that occurred in 2023 and for which court rulings have been finalized.

Under the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act, the mandatory disclosure requirement applies to investigation reports for serious accidents occurring on or after June 1 this year, when the amended law took effect. The ministry has also been voluntarily releasing reports on earlier incidents to provide information useful for accident prevention.

The initial batch of 51 reports surpassed 50,000 cumulative views in roughly four months — about 1,000 views per report. The ministry also built a dedicated search board allowing users to filter cases by industry, company size, region and accident type.

The reports are available on the ministry's website under the "Information Disclosure — Accident Investigation Reports" section, and can also be accessed through the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency's industrial safety portal under "Accident Prevention Information — Accident Cases — Accident Investigation Reports."

The ministry said it will continue releasing reports and, in line with the intent of the revised law, plans to gradually disclose reports on cases that have been indicted and are currently under trial, even before a final ruling is issued.

"We will actively release accident investigation reports so that companies on the ground can prevent similar accidents by learning from real serious-accident cases," Minister Kim Young-hoon said. "If businesses use the published reports to review accident cases in their region and industry and apply those findings to identifying and addressing hazards, the preventive effect will be significant."


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