Fatal Accident Halts Work at HD Hyundai Shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea

Work was halted at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan shipyard following a fatal accident on Monday evening, which resulted in the death of one person and serious injury to another. The individuals involved were subcontractors at South Korea’s largest shipyard and were supervising the lift and repositioning of a massive 9,000-ton block as part of a construction project for an offshore crude oil production platform. The block collapsed for unknown reasons, crushing one individual and injuring another.

Following the accident, South Korean officials imposed a stop work order for block handling operations and launched an investigation, which will involve interviewing witnesses and reviewing procedures. The company also announced a mandatory safety training program for all workers at the Ulsan yard. This incident occurred just a month after another fatal accident at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard facility in Okpo, prompting calls for a full investigation of the labor practices of the company by union leaders.

The accident at HD Hyundai comes after the company had recently highlighted its 22-month period without a serious accident and announced a safety program targeting 1,000 days. South Korea has strict workplace safety regulations, and under the law, senior management of a company can be held liable when fatal or serious accidents occur in their facilities.

Source .