Worker injured in gas accident at Posco steel plant in November dies, raising death toll to two

A worker who inhaled toxic gas at Posco’s steel plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 20 died on Monday, bringing the death toll from that accident to two.

Officials from the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Precinct enter Posco’s Pohang steelworks on Nov. 26 to conduct a forensic inspection following several workers being injured after inhaling gas. [YONHAP]

A worker who inhaled toxic gas at Posco’s steel plant in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 20 died on Monday, bringing the death toll from that accident to two.

The deceased, employed by a subcontractor, died at 3:46 a.m. on Monday after spending more than a month in critical condition at a hospital, according to the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency.

The accident took place at the STS No. 4 steelmaking plant at Posco’s Pohang facility, where two subcontracted workers and one Posco employee were cleaning sludge when they were exposed to toxic gas. All three lost consciousness.

Three members of Posco’s in-house fire and disaster response team were also injured after inhaling the gas while attempting to rescue the workers.

The other subcontracted worker died on Dec. 15 after remaining in critical condition for nearly a month.

Authorities from the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency and the Pohang branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor are investigating the incident by questioning representatives from Posco and the subcontractor about the cause of the accident and their safety management practices.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JEONG JAE-HONG [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]