Large Supermarket Worker Dies… Police and Labor Ministry Investigation on Application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act

A tragic incident occurred at a large supermarket in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where a worker in his 60s died, prompting police and labor authorities to launch a full investigation into the application of the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act' (SAPA).

On the evening of the 8th, at around 9:30 PM, Mr. A, in his 60s, collapsed while organizing carts in the supermarket. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately died.

Unclear Cause of Death… Police Request Autopsy

The police have requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine whether this death was due to a simple medical condition or related to negligence in workplace safety management.

As of the preliminary findings, it has been reported that a clear cause of death is difficult to ascertain, and they plan to expedite the investigation once the detailed autopsy results are available.

A police official stated, "We are looking into the overall circumstances, including whether there was any negligence on the part of the company related to Mr. A's death."

Labor Ministry to Determine Application of SAPA… Hot Weather Also a Factor

The Goyang office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor has indicated that the size of the workplace qualifies for the application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. However, they have stated that they will keep all possibilities open for investigation until the final autopsy results are available.

The authorities are particularly focused on the hot weather conditions on the day of the incident. On the evening of the 8th, Goyang was experiencing a tropical night with temperatures around 27.5 degrees Celsius at 9 PM and high humidity, leading to a perceived temperature even higher.

Meanwhile, the Labor Ministry has been promoting amendments to industrial safety and health regulations to require workers to be given a break of over 20 minutes every 2 hours when the perceived temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius. Therefore, there is increasing interest in whether the labor conditions in the sweltering heat directly impacted the occurrence of this incident.

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