The police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor began verifying the application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act (hereinafter the Act) in connection with the death of a worker in his 60s at a large discount store in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Earlier, around 9:30 p.m. on the 8th, a worker, referred to as A, in his 60s collapsed while organizing carts at a large discount store in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang City, and was transported to a hospital but unfortunately passed away.
On the 12th, the police requested an autopsy from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation to determine whether there was any negligence on the part of the company in relation to A's death. So far, it has been preliminarily indicated that it is difficult to ascertain the cause of death externally and that a detailed investigation is needed. The police plan to investigate whether there was any company negligence based on the detailed autopsy results.
Labor authorities are also investigating with the possibility of a violation of the Act in mind. The Goyang branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated that the application of the Act is applicable given the scale of the business sites. However, they noted that the investigation is ongoing while keeping all possibilities open until the autopsy results are available.
The authorities are particularly paying attention to the hot weather on the day of the accident. The evening of the 8th, when the fatal incident occurred, was marked by a tropical night. At 9 p.m. in the area of Ilsan, Goyang City, the temperature was 27.5 degrees Celsius. Along with high humidity, it is presumed that the perceived temperature was also very high.