Worker dead following accidental fall at South Korean shipyard

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports that one person has died as a result of an accident at a shipyard in the southern part of the country on Monday, September 9.

The incident occurred at 22:57 local time on Monday when an unidentified male labourer fell from a height of 30 metres on a containership under construction at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje facilities in South Gyeongsang province.

The labourer, who was in his late forties and was employed by a Hanwha Ocean subcontractor, was rushed to hospital, where he went into cardiac arrest and eventually expired.

Local police said that protective nets intended to prevent falling had been placed around the ship in the floating dock where the labourer fell but that an investigation will still need to be undertaken to determine whether this and other safety measures were being properly implemented at the yard.

A representative of a local maritime workers' union meanwhile remarked that fall prevention nets must be adequately heightened and reinforced but added that Hanwha Ocean had not taken the necessary steps in this regard.

Activities at the yard have been suspended for ten days and will resume only upon the completion of additional inspections and safety training.