26-year-old migrant worker dies in shipyard accident just 7 months after joining; safety measures 'useless'

A 26-year-old migrant worker from Uzbekistan died tragically seven months after beginning his job at a shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. The worker, who was operating a gondola alone on a ship under construction, became trapped in machinery and was later pronounced dead. Police are investigating the cause of death as suffocation.

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The accident the day before yesterday, the structural component was installed, but it seems that safety measures such as risk assessment or sensor position adjustment were not taken. There was no mention of this in the work permit issued by the prime contractor on the day.

The incident occurred on July 18 at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. The deceased had entered South Korea on a non-professional employment visa (E-9) in December and was employed by a subcontractor at the shipyard. His job involved grinding welds to smooth ship surfaces. On the day of the accident, he boarded the gondola alone to carry out his tasks.

Shipyard officials explained that workers typically operate the gondola independently, using a remote control to move along the ship's hull. The only safety equipment intended for such operations is an anti-over-climbing device on the gondola, designed to stop it at a certain height. However, in this case, the device appears to have failed or been insufficient.

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Ignoring even basic duties due to production-first management and safety insensitivity is an act of murder with indirect intent.

Union officials pointed out that the structural component that crushed the worker was located at a height of 4.6 meters, which is lower than the 5.2-meter safety limit set by the sensor on the anti-over-climbing device. They suspect that safety measures were not reassessed or adjusted after the component was installed the day before the accident. The original contractor's work permit for the day also reportedly lacked any mention of this new structure. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has halted gondola operations and is investigating the exact circumstances and responsibilities. The union condemned the incident as a "murderous act due to willful negligence," citing a prioritization of production over safety and the "outsourcing of danger" to subcontractors and migrant workers.

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We express our deepest condolences to the deceased and his family. We will cooperate fully with the relevant authorities' investigation.