One person died as a result of a work-related accident at a shipyard in South Korea on Saturday, July 18.
The victim, a 26-year-old male from Uzbekistan employed by a subcontractor, was on a gondola and working on an LNG carrier under construction at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' (HHI) yard in Ulsan when he became wedged between the gondola and some scaffolding.
The man was rushed to hospital but eventually succumbed to his injuries.
The South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour and local police have since launched an investigation into the accident and have ordered the temporary cessation of hull works at HHI's Ulsan facilities.
A local metal workers' union has accused HHI of failing to implement adequate safety measures at the Ulsan yard and of pressuring foreign subcontractors to increase their work speed despite being given insufficient safety training.
The union said that there was an over-hoist prevention device that would have stopped anyone from exiting the gondola. However, the placement of the scaffolding at the time of the accident had kept this device from functioning properly.
