Labor ministry and Incheon declare drive against manhole deaths

The labor ministry said Thursday it had joined Incheon city in a formal declaration aimed at eliminating fatal manhole suffocation accidents in public-sector work, after repeated toxic-gas poisonings and secondary rescue accidents in drainage and manhole projects. The ministry and city said the recurring accidents underscored the need for a fundamental overhaul of safety management by central and local governments.

In Incheon, two people died in suffocation accidents during such work last year and three were injured this year.

The Incheon Environmental Corporation will pilot a pre-work safety verification system at sites vulnerable to suffocation, including manhole projects. Video or on-site inspections will check oxygen and hazardous-gas concentrations and ventilation before work receives approval. Basic safety rules call for measuring oxygen and hazardous-gas levels before work, ensuring sufficient ventilation and wearing respiratory protection. In an emergency, workers are told to call 119 rather than attempt a direct rescue.

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said, "The public sector must lead by example in protecting the lives and safety of local communities."

Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae said, "We will ensure workers at local sites in our region are no longer exposed to danger. We will operate Incheon's safety management system without gaps and actively cooperate with the labor ministry to create a true 'Safety First Incheon' where not a single worker is hurt."

The ministry and city said they would expand Incheon's efforts to complete safety education and build a safety management system to local governments nationwide.