▲ The scene of the manhole accident
Police investigating the suffocation death of two workers poisoned by toxic gas inside a manhole in Byeongbang-dong, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, in July of last year have forwarded 18 individuals, including the former president of the Incheon Environment Corporation, to the prosecution.
The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Unit announced today (October 7) that it has booked and transferred 18 suspects without detention to the prosecution on charges including professional negligence resulting in death and obstruction of bidding. The suspects include four current and former employees of the Incheon Environment Corporation, six officials from related companies, and eight individuals who lent out their licenses.
They are accused of failing to take proper safety and health measures related to the manhole during an inspection of sewage pipe conditions inside a manhole in Byeongbang-dong, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, on July 6 of last year, resulting in the deaths of two people, including a daily worker who was a representative of a sub-subcontractor.
Police investigations revealed that three employees of the Incheon Environment Corporation and three officials from the service provider failed to deploy a supervisor to manage the site, despite regulations requiring supervision during work in confined spaces such as manholes.
Police, who formed a dedicated investigation team at the time, searched the Incheon Environment Corporation headquarters, the Gajwa Office, and contractor offices located in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Daegu to secure evidence. They have been investigating whether there was poor on-site safety management and supervision, as well as the subcontracting process.
The investigation revealed that the accident occurred amid a so-called "multilayered subcontracting relationship."
Although the Incheon Environment Corporation prohibited subcontracting in its task instruction manual, the service provider subcontracted the work to another company, which in turn re-subcontracted it to a company operated by an individual identified as Mr. B.
During the investigation, it was also confirmed that the former president of the Incheon Environment Corporation had leaked bidding information in advance to the representative of the service provider.
Additionally, investigations showed that the service provider had illegally re-subcontracted other services won from the Incheon Environment Corporation and elsewhere to unlicensed companies, beyond the project in question.
Furthermore, police transferred license lenders who lent bankbooks and other items to unlicensed companies, as well as two service and subcontracting companies that conducted surveying work without proper qualifications, and requested the Ministry of Employment and Labor to revoke their licenses.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor's Gyeongbu Regional Employment and Labor Administration booked the current president of the Incheon Environment Corporation without detention on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and plans to forward the case to the prosecution soon.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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