More than half of the construction site fatalities in the past five years were due to falls, highlighting the urgent need for basic safety measures at these sites.
According to data analyzed by Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, a total of 1,220 construction site deaths were recorded from 2021 to June 2026. Among these, 642 fatalities, or 52.6%, were due to falls.
While annual construction site deaths decreased from 272 in 2021 to 199 in 2025, the proportion of fall-related deaths remained around half. In the first half of this year, 29 out of 58 construction site fatalities (50.0%) were also due to falls.
Falls have also been a recurring issue at major construction companies. Data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revealed that 120 deaths occurred at the top 10 construction firms during the same period, with 36 (30.0%) resulting from falls. Specifically, six fall-related deaths were reported at both Hyundai Construction and Lotte Construction, while Hyundai Engineering and POSCO E&C each recorded five.
There have been instances of repeated fall accidents at the same construction sites. For example, at the construction site for the Sejong-Pocheon Expressway, managed by Hyundai Construction, one worker died in a fall in February 2022, followed by another fatality in September 2023.
Similarly, at Hyundai Engineering's sites, fall-related deaths occurred on April 6, 2023, at the Gasan Knowledge Industry Center and again on April 11 at the Guri-Galmae Knowledge Industry Center.
When examining the causes of construction site fatalities, 539 deaths (44.2%) were attributed to individual worker-related issues. Specifically, 310 deaths were due to worker negligence, followed by 85 from unsafe behavior, 52 from failure to follow procedures, 47 from inadequate use of safety gear, and 45 from not wearing safety gear at all.
However, experts argue that merely urging workers to be cautious is insufficient to prevent falls. Inspections have revealed that basic safety measures, such as guardrails and designated walkways, are often lacking at construction sites.
Following a rebar drop incident on the Shinansan Line, special inspections of eight construction sections found that vertical drop sites lacked separate walkways for moving between floors. As a result, workers were found to be using openings meant for cables as pathways, exposing them to fall risks.
Rep. Hwang emphasized, “Despite half of construction site fatalities being due to falls, basic safety measures like guardrails and walkways are still inadequate. Before asking workers to be cautious, we must ensure that facilities for safe movement and work are in place.”
Meanwhile, there were no reported deaths from heat-related illnesses at construction sites from 2021 to 2024, but the number rose to three last year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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