Otis Elevator investigated over death of worker

Otis Elevator Korea CEO Cho Ik-seo answers questions from lawmakers during a National Assembly audit in Seoul in this 2019 file photo. Newsis

By Park Jae-hyuk

Otis Elevator Korea is under government investigation over the death of a 27-year-old worker who fell 20 meters while repairing an elevator alone at an apartment building in Seoul last Friday.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Sunday that it is investigating whether the company is subject to punishment under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (SAPA). The law can send a company's chief manager to jail if a serious worksite accident occurs where the company has not taken sufficient safety precautions.

“After sending our officials to the scene to check the accident, we immediately ordered the suspension of the repair work,” a labor ministry official said. “We immediately began to investigate the cause of the accident and whether the company is subject to the SAPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”

The ministry added it will take stern measures, if it discovers any illegality in this case.

Unionized workers of the U.S. elevator maker's Korean subsidiary attributed the fatal accident to management's repeated refusals to accept their request to send at least two workers on elevator repair jobs.

Before the accident, the deceased worker also reportedly texted his colleague asking for support.

According to guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, those in charge of maintaining elevators should supervise the safety of maintenance work. In addition, they should also send at least two workers to work on maintenance.

Otis Elevator Korea's manufacturing plant in Incheon / Courtesy of Otis Elevator Korea

“For a safer working environment, we have asked management to send two workers, but management has ignored our requests,” an Otis Elevator Korea employee wrote on Blind, an anonymous chat app for verified employees.

The elevator firm's union said they have been making the requests since 2019.

According to the union, however, management has claimed that the guidelines were drawn up due to fatal accidents during installation work, not maintenance work.

“Our service engineers have a perception that it is safer to do maintenance work in pairs, but we think this is wrong and working alone could be safer,” management told the union during their meeting in March, according to shorthand notes provided by the union.

Otis Elevator Korea has denied making the remarks in the shorthand notes.

“Our company has maintained elevators in compliance with relevant laws,” an Otis Elevator Korea official said. “We have instructed our engineers with a working manual for their safety.”

The company also gave condolences to the bereaved family, promising that it will make every effort to clarify the cause of the accident.