The Supreme Court has upheld the suspended prison sentence of a safety manager at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, following a fatal workplace accident at the company’s Ulsan shipyard in 2021. The incident, in which a 2.3-ton steel plate fell and killed a worker, led to charges of occupational negligence.
The court’s 1st Division, with Justice Shin Sook-hee presiding, confirmed the decision from the lower courts on the 28th. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Shipbuilding & Ocean Engineering Division head, Lee, was sentenced to six months in prison, with the sentence suspended for one year. The company was fined 20 million Korean won for failing to implement adequate safety measures. Three other individuals, including a site manager and two workers, received fines ranging from 5 million to 8 million Korean won.
The fatal accident occurred in February 2021 at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan’s Dong-gu District. While workers were arranging a steel plate, part of a ship’s hull, a 2.3-ton plate fell and struck a worker. The plate, curved on one side, became unstable and prone to falling. The accident happened while the plate was being lifted by a crane and secured to a support structure.
Under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, employers are required to take measures to prevent falling risks when handling heavy objects, designate restricted areas, and ensure workers wear protective gear. Investigations, however, revealed that these required safety precautions were insufficient at the site.
Both the first and second trials acknowledged the defendants’ guilt, stating that the risk of falling objects in heavy-duty work was foreseeable. Despite this, no preventive methods were put in place to address the risk. The second trial also pointed out that while large-scale sites may struggle to predict all potential risks, Lee should have recognized the danger of handling heavy objects and failed to implement the necessary safeguards. The Supreme Court agreed with this reasoning and dismissed the company’s appeal.
