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Hyundai Engineering Headquarters. (Photo = Hyundai Engineering) |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] A fatal accident occurred at a construction site managed by Hyundai Engineering, marking the third major workplace accident this year. The incident took place on March 25 at around 2:40 PM at the construction site of the First Apartment building near Asan Station, Asan, Chungcheongnam-do.
A worker in his 50s, who was using an exterior scaffolding for finishing work, was caught by strong winds and fell. He was suspended by a safety rope for about an hour before being rescued but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
An investigation revealed that while the first fall prevention device (safety rope and fall prevention net) was functioning properly, the worker likely sustained severe injuries, including to his head, after hitting the exterior wall during the fall.
At the time of the accident, the region was under a strong wind warning with gusts reaching up to 20 meters per second. The Korea Meteorological Administration reported wind gusts exceeding 70 km/h (approximately 19.4 m/s) along the west coast and inland areas. Industry standards generally recommend halting outdoor high-altitude work when wind speeds exceed 10 m/s.
Despite these conditions, work on the high-rise exterior wall was carried out, and it has yet to be confirmed whether there was a real-time wind speed monitoring system at the site.
Alphabiz Reporter Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
