Serious Accidents Persist Nearly 5 Years After Act Took Effect... POSCO E&C, Hyundai E&C Report the Most

99 companies reported 147 serious accident cases
Only 11 companies reported three or more serious accidents
Hyundai Engineering had the most casualties, with 13 people affected

Nearly five years have passed since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect, but serious accidents continue to occur at major companies. In the 21 months from January 2025 through September 2026, 11 companies reported at least three serious accidents to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Eight of them were construction companies, and some companies experienced repeated accidents. A major industrial accident that caused at least 10 casualties in a single incident was also identified.

An analysis by CEO Score, a corporate data research institute, of 2025 business reports, 2026 semiannual reports and publicly available records of serious accident reports found that 99 companies had reported serious accidents to the Ministry of Employment and Labor between January 2025 and September 2026. A total of 147 reports were identified. However, the findings also included cases that were determined not to qualify as serious accidents, as well as cases for which that determination had not yet been made.

POSCO E&C and Hyundai E&C reported the most, with six cases each. At POSCO E&C, the incidents resulted in nine casualties: six deaths and three injuries. In particular, three reports of serious accidents involved worksites on the Shinansan Line project. Hyundai E&C also had six reports, with seven casualties: six deaths and one injury. At Hyundai E&C's Shaheen ethylene construction site, a worker was trapped in a soil collapse in June 2026, and another worker fell in September. One person died in each incident.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Kia each reported four cases. Both companies recorded four deaths in related accidents. All four cases reported by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries occurred in 2026, while Kia reported three in 2025 and one in 2026.

Seven other companies—Hyundai Engineering, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, HL D&I, IPARK Hyundai Development Company, KCC Engineering & Construction, Kumho Engineering & Construction and Hanwha Ocean—each reported three serious accidents.

Among these companies, Hyundai Engineering had the highest number of casualties, with 13 in total: six deaths and seven injuries. HJ Shipbuilding & Construction recorded the most deaths, with nine. HL D&I, IPARK Hyundai Development Company, KCC Engineering & Construction, Kumho Engineering & Construction and Hanwha Ocean each recorded three deaths.

However, the number of reports filed by each company does not mean that every reported case was legally confirmed as a serious accident. For example, two fatal accidents reported by HL D&I in 2026 were closed after an internal investigation found that the deaths were caused by personal illnesses. All three cases reported by KCC Engineering & Construction were also excluded from the serious accident category after a Ministry of Employment and Labor investigation determined that the deaths were caused by personal illnesses.

A total of eight individual accidents resulted in at least three casualties. The accident with the highest number of casualties was the collapse of a bridge on Section 9 of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway project, carried out by Hyundai Engineering, on February 25, 2025. Four people died and six were injured, for a total of 10 casualties. On November 7, 2025, a collapse occurred at a site where HJ Shipbuilding & Construction was involved in demolishing an aging boiler tower at the Ulsan Thermal Power Headquarters. Seven people died and two were injured. Of the 147 cases reviewed, this incident had the highest number of deaths in a single accident.

On June 1, 2026, a fire and explosion occurred during cleaning work at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant, killing five people and injuring two. A subsequent special inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor uncovered 473 violations. Of these, 189 cases will be referred for judicial action, while fines totaling approximately 500 million won will be imposed for the remaining 284.

On October 17, 2025, a fire broke out during work to isolate pipes in the hydrogen production process at SK Energy's Ulsan plant, killing two people and injuring four.

In another incident, a leak of hazardous chemicals occurred at the Pohang Steelworks in connection with POSCO DX on November 4, 2025, killing one person and injuring three. On July 30 of the same year, an explosion involving a drying dryer and the collapse of a work platform occurred at Clean & Science's Jeongeup Plant No. 1, killing one person and injuring three.

On June 8, 2026, high-temperature condensate sprayed out at OCI's Gwangyang Plant No. 1, killing one person and injuring two. On December 18, 2025, reinforcing bars fell inside a tunnel on Section 4-2 of the Shinansan Line project being built by POSCO E&C, killing one person and injuring two.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect in January 2022 for workplaces with 50 or more regular employees, among others. Its scope was expanded in January 2024 to cover workplaces with at least five but fewer than 50 regular employees. When a serious accident occurs, employers must report it without delay to the relevant regional office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Reportable cases include incidents resulting in at least one death; incidents in which at least two people are injured at the same time and require at least three months of medical treatment; and incidents in which at least 10 people suffer injuries or occupational illnesses at the same time.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.