Government, Incheon vow to eliminate manhole asphyxiation accidents with new pre-work safety system

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the city of Incheon have agreed to strengthen safety management in the public sector first to prevent recurring manhole asphyxiation accidents.

The two bodies plan to pilot a "pre-work safety confirmation system" — under which work may only begin after oxygen levels, hazardous gas concentrations and ventilation conditions have been verified — starting in Incheon, with the aim of rolling it out to local governments nationwide.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and Incheon city held a "Declaration Ceremony to Eradicate Manhole Asphyxiation Accidents for a Safer Incheon" at Incheon City Hall on Thursday and adopted a joint declaration to prevent serious accidents in confined-space work.

The two institutions agreed that the central and local governments must jointly overhaul their management systems, given that toxic gas poisonings and secondary accidents during rescue operations have repeatedly occurred in sewer and manhole work commissioned by local governments.

In Incheon, two workers died last year and three others were injured this year in asphyxiation accidents during confined-space work such as manhole maintenance. The Incheon mayor, district mayors and heads of affiliated public institutions attended Thursday's event, where they watched a special safety education video featuring actual asphyxiation accident cases to heighten awareness.

The ministry doubled down on four basic rules for preventing asphyxiation accidents: measuring oxygen and hazardous gas concentrations before work begins, ensuring adequate ventilation, wearing respiratory protective equipment, and calling 119 first rather than attempting a direct rescue if an accident occurs.

Because the work is directly commissioned and managed by local governments and public institutions, the ministry urged the public sector to strictly fulfill its obligations to submit advance work plans and verify safety and health measures before work begins.

The two institutions agreed to pilot the pre-work safety confirmation system at high-risk work sites — including manholes — operated by the Incheon Environmental Corporation. Under the system, oxygen and hazardous gas levels and ventilation conditions are checked via video or on-site inspection before work is approved to begin. The ministry and Incheon city said they intend to use the pilot as an opportunity to spread Incheon's safety education and management framework to local governments across the country.

Minister Kim Young-hoon said the public sector must lead by example in protecting the lives and safety of local communities. "I hope that through this joint declaration and the pilot of the pre-work safety confirmation system, Incheon will become a role model for preventing serious accidents and that the safety management system will spread nationwide," he said.

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae said the city would operate a tight safety management system to ensure workers are no longer exposed to danger and would actively cooperate with the Ministry of Employment and Labor.