South Korean shipyard cleared to resume operations after accidental fall that killed worker

South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labour (MOEL) has approved local shipyard Hanwha Ocean's application to resume its operations after it had been ordered to implement a partial shutdown in the wake of a fatal accident at its Geoje facilities earlier this year.

The ministry approved Hanwha Ocean's second application to resume work after a labourer employed by a subcontractor succumbed to injuries he sustained from falling over 30 metres onto a containership under construction on September 9.

The approval came after Hanwha Ocean announced that it would be investing the equivalent of US$1.3 billion to overhaul its existing safety management system.

The company's initial request to resume work was rejected by the MOEL after a review committee determined that there was still a lack of key safety measures at the Geoje yard nearly two weeks following the September 9 mishap.

A total of 18 accidents resulting in 22 deaths have occurred at a number of shipyards throughout South Korea from January to September of this year, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions confirmed in a separate statement. Among the shipyards under scrutiny, Hanwha Ocean had the highest reported death toll of seven.