Worker falls to death from 3rd-floor balcony during window replacement in Daejeon

A worker died after falling from a third-floor balcony while replacing windows at a villa in Daejeon.

According to the Daejeon East Police Station on Friday, a man in his 50s fell about 6 meters from a third-floor balcony of a four-story villa in Jayang-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon, at around 9:33 a.m. Thursday.

The man was rushed to a hospital in cardiac arrest but was pronounced dead.

At the time of the accident, he and a colleague were working as a two-person team, hauling a window frame up to the third floor.

During the operation, an aging balcony railing gave way under the weight of the window frame and broke off, taking the man — who had been leaning against it — down with it.

His colleague survived by grabbing onto a wall.

"We plan to investigate the company's personnel on charges of negligent homicide," a police official said, adding that investigators are also checking whether proper safety equipment was worn and whether the Occupational Safety and Health Act applies.