Worker dies in fall at Posco E&C's Sinansan Line construction site

A subcontracted worker in his 30s has died after falling at a construction site for the Sinansan Line being built by Posco E&C, raising fresh questions about the company's safety management following a string of fatal accidents along the same rail project.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the 35-year-old subcontractor fell approximately 15 meters through an opening while working to expand it for cable tray installation at the Sinansan Line construction site in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, at around 5:26 p.m. Tuesday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Immediately after the accident, investigators from the ministry's Seoul Southern District Office serious-accident investigation unit and the Gwanak branch's industrial accident prevention team, along with officials from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, rushed to the site and ordered a halt to the relevant work.

The ministry is investigating the exact circumstances of the accident and has launched a probe into possible violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

The incident marks the third major fatal accident at a Sinansan Line construction site built by Posco E&C.

In April last year, a road above an underground tunnel collapsed at Sinansan Line Section 5-2 in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, killing one worker and seriously injuring another. In December of the same year, a bundle of steel rebar collapsed at the Section 4-2 site near Yeouido Station, killing a pump truck operator employed by a subcontractor.

Industry officials say the repeated accidents point to the need for a comprehensive review of the prime contractor's safety management systems. The ministry said it plans to scrutinize not only the cause of the latest accident but also whether Posco E&C fulfilled its obligations to ensure worker safety and health.