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Brother of worker who died in manhole slams employer's safety practices: 'Companies chased profits'

Published: 08 Jul. 2025, 20:31 Updated: 08 Jul. 2025, 21:59

A man in his 40s was rescued while unconscious, and another man in his 50s died while working in a maintenance hole in Gyeyang District, Incheon. The hole is pictured on July 6. [YONHAP]

Three forensic investigators stepped into a viewing room at a funeral home in Incheon’s Gyeyang District on Tuesday morning clutching cameras and official documents.

Inside lay the body of a worker, 52, who died after inhaling toxic gas in a maintenance hole accident on Sunday.

Standing outside, his brother-in-law struggled to contain his grief.

“We waited, hoping my brother-in-law would come back alive. I still can’t believe he’s gone,” he said. “He lived with his wife and his daughter in sixth grade. He was a devoted family man.”

The worker had traveled from Daegu to Incheon last week on business. He was working on a subcontract tied to a project commissioned by the Environmental Corporation of Incheon to build a geospatial database for a sewage collection line. The assignment would cost him his life.

Family members argue the accident stemmed from lax safety controls.

“This tragedy happened because companies chased profits, [illegally] re-subcontracted the work and failed to manage safety,” the worker's brother-in-law said.

Rescuers found the worker inside the maintenance hole wearing work clothes and chest-high waders, but no oxygen mask or protective breathing gear, according to fire authorities.

Fire authorities search for a missing worker on July 7 at the Gulpo Stream sewage treatment plant in Incheon following a maintenance hole accident. [INCHEON FIRE SERVICE]

The worker fell unconscious while working inside a maintenance hole in Byeongbang-dong, Incheon, around 9:22 a.m. on Sunday. Officials believe he inhaled hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide before being swept away by currents.

Search teams found him roughly 25 hours later, around 10:49 a.m. Monday, about a kilometer (0.62 miles) downstream at a wastewater treatment plant along the Gulpo Stream. He was already unresponsive.

The National Forensic Service gave police an initial verbal assessment saying the worker likely died from gas poisoning, police said Tuesday. His funeral will take place in Daegu, where he lived.

Meanwhile, another worker, 48, who was discovered unresponsive at the scene Sunday, remains in an ICU. The worker regained a pulse and began breathing while being taken to the hospital but has yet to regain consciousness.

Later Tuesday, the Environmental Corporation of Incheon briefed reporters at Incheon City Hall, saying the contractor violated multiple directives.

The agency had signed a contract in April with Korea KGT Consultant explicitly prohibiting unauthorized subcontracting, warning that doing so could lead to penalties if it compromised the project.

Despite this, Korea KGT Consultant subcontracted work to J-Tech, which, in turn, hired LS Industry, creating a chain of deals the corporation says was never approved.

“The contractor violated key terms of our project directive,” an Environmental Corporation of Incheon spokesperson said.

The entrance to a maintenance hole in Gyeyang District, Incheon, where a man died and another was rescued while unconscious is pictured on July 6. [YONHAP]

The agreement also stipulated that anyone inspecting or entering underground facilities like maintenance holes needed approval from local authorities beforehand.

But the managing office said it received no notification that work would occur on Sunday.

Labor authorities and police have launched separate probes. The Jungbu Regional Employment and Labor Office formed a team of 20 inspectors from its major accident investigation division to determine whether the contracting process complied with the law.

Police have also organized a 12-person task force to examine whether negligence contributed to the worker’s death and whether to bring charges of involuntary manslaughter against those responsible for site safety.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK JONG-SUH [[email protected]]