A worker has died after falling at a painting company in Busan, which has previously experienced two fatal accidents. The company's CEO has been sentenced to a suspended prison term.
On October 26, the Busan Eastern District Court's Judge No Haeng-nam sentenced the CEO, identified as A, to 1 year and 6 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, for violating the Serious Accident Punishment Act (industrial accident manslaughter) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as well as for negligent homicide.
The company was fined 100 million won, while the site manager B and foreman C, who were charged with negligent homicide, received fines of 7 million won each.
According to the court ruling, on September 5, 2024, a worker in his 50s from A's company fell 11 meters to his death while performing exterior wall repairs, repainting, and roof waterproofing at an apartment in Gijang-gun, Busan. At the time, the safety railing on the front of the lift was removed for convenience, and the victim was not wearing a helmet or safety harness.
During the trial, the company claimed that the foreman decided the work methods and that the accident was due to the negligence of the lift operator and the victim. However, the court rejected this defense. It noted that the site manager filmed the work being done without safety railings and posted it in a KakaoTalk group chat that included A, indicating that A was aware of the dangerous work practices. The court particularly criticized the removal of the safety railing to reduce work time and labor costs.
This company has a history of two previous fatal falls. In August 2010, a worker died after falling due to a broken support rope during exterior wall painting, and in April 2022, another worker fell to his death at a different apartment site due to inadequate safety measures.
A's father, who was the CEO during the previous incidents, received fines of 3 million won and a 1-year prison sentence, suspended for 2 years. A took over as CEO immediately after the verdict for the second incident in November 2023.
Judge No stated that while A denies responsibility for the accident, he has no prior criminal record and has paid 60 million won in compensation to the victim's family, which influenced the sentencing decision.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's report on '2026 Third Quarter Industrial Accident Status,' 366 workers have died in industrial accidents as of the third quarter of this year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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