Court sentences construction head for violating workplace safety law

A court set a precedent for the Severe Accidents Punishment Act on Thursday. This is the first ever court ruling of its kind that penalized the defendant, out of 14 cases that have been filed for violating the workplace safety law.

Buildings are under construction in Sejong on March 2. [NEWS1]

A court set a precedent for the Severe Accidents Punishment Act on Thursday.

The Uijeongbu District Court sentenced the head of Onu Partners, a construction company, to one year and six months in prison with three years probation, and gave a 30-million-won ($22,800) fine to the company. A site manager was also fined 5 million won.

This is the first ever court ruling of its kind that penalized the defendant, out of 14 cases that have been filed for violating the workplace safety law.

Onu Partners was indicted with charges on failing to uphold its duty to ensure safety during its work to expand a hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi, which resulted in a death of a construction worker in May last year.

The court said the company failed to follow safety laws by not setting up safety bars, which resulted in the worker's death.

The safety law came in to effect January last year to punish employers who do not fulfill their duty to prevent severe accidents, such as death, at a workplace with 50 or more full-time workers.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]