Construction safety crackdown begins

[Anchor]

Amid the recurring industrial accidents, the government is preparing stringent measures, and the Minister of Employment and Labor met with representatives of 20 major construction companies.

He stated that the industrial accident measures should not be perceived as a burden on businesses, but construction companies revealed that every day feels like walking on thin ice.

Reporter Park Kyung-jun has the details.

[Report]

The construction site of POSCO E&C's apartment, which was scheduled for completion in October and sale thereafter.

Construction has been halted for over ten days.

[Nearby Merchant/Voice Altered: "The workers are not coming now. I thought (the construction) was finished."]

Following the president's criticism, POSCO E&C and DL have suspended construction at over 150 sites nationwide due to fatal accidents.

The government is preparing strong economic sanctions, such as fines and the cancellation of construction company registrations, for workplaces where serious accidents are recurring.

Today (8.14), the government gathered representatives from 20 major construction companies.

[Kim Young-hoon/Minister of Employment and Labor: "Reducing serious accidents is not about tightening the reins on businesses or making things difficult for all of us; it is about elevating the status of South Korea, and that is precisely what strengthens the competitiveness of companies..."]

A representative from one construction company described the atmosphere of today's meeting as feeling like "if you get caught, it's over."

According to KBS's coverage, during the meeting, there were complaints such as "Every day feels like walking on thin ice" and "I feel anxious and nervous because an accident could happen," along with discussions about issues like the low-bid tender system and the competition for low-cost contracts.

In preparation for emergencies, some construction companies plan to create group chat rooms with site managers and add dedicated safety personnel, while others announced plans to distribute additional safety helmets that can reduce impact.

The government is currently conducting surprise inspections at 26,000 workplaces, including 7,000 construction sites.

Nearly half of the 600 workers who died while working last year were fatalities at construction sites.

This is KBS News, Park Kyung-jun.