Incheon Environmental Corp officials referred to prosecutors over fatal manhole accident

The Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency has referred 20 individuals to prosecutors following an investigation into a fatal manhole accident in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. The incident, which occurred in July last year, resulted in the deaths of two subcontracted workers who succumbed to toxic gas poisoning while inspecting sewage pipes.

Investigators found that the former chairman of the Incheon Environmental Corporation and several current employees, along with company representatives, failed to fulfill their legal obligations to deploy and supervise on-site managers for confined space operations.

Beyond safety negligence, the investigation uncovered further misconduct, including the unauthorized leakage of bidding information by the former chairman to a favored company representative. Additionally, authorities identified illegal subcontracting practices and the use of unlicensed entities for surveying work. The police stated they will continue to target the chronic subcontracting structures that lead to safety blind spots in industrial sites.