[Alpha Biz= Ellie Kim] A subcontract worker was seriously injured in a forklift accident during a night shift just one day after joining work at SK Energy’s Ulsan plant, raising renewed concerns over contractor safety management.

According to reporting by Busan Ilbo on April 26, the accident occurred at 2:36 a.m. on March 4 during catalyst replacement operations. The worker, a 58-year-old employee of subcontractor Ubec Co., was crushed between a large industrial bag and a steel structure after a forklift slipped and surged forward.

The victim underwent more than 10 hours of emergency surgery and is currently recovering, though communication remains difficult.

The incident has drawn particular criticism as the worker had been employed for less than 24 hours, raising questions over whether adequate safety training and site orientation were provided before assigning him to overnight work.

The case is further controversial as the same subcontractor was involved in a fatal hydrogen pipeline explosion at the same facility in October last year, which left two workers dead and four injured. The recurrence of accidents has intensified scrutiny over both the subcontractor’s safety practices and SK Energy’s oversight of contractors.

Authorities are now investigating potential violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, including whether proper training and hazard management measures were in place. The labor ministry has ordered a suspension of certain forklift operations and designated the case for enhanced supervision.

The incident has reignited criticism of systemic safety failures and the outsourcing of high-risk work, with investigators focusing on whether SK Energy fulfilled its responsibility to ensure workplace safety for subcontracted workers.

 

 

 

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