Notices

A subcontractor of Hanwha Ocean is suspected of falsely reporting an industrial accident suffered by a worker on the job as a commuting accident. The Korean Metal Workers’ Union disclosed an audio recording that it says contains evidence of an attempt to conceal the industrial accident and demanded that Hanwha Ocean conduct a comprehensive investigation into such practices and protect the affected worker.

Worker Injured Her Ankle While Working

“Encouraged to Report It as a Commuting Accident”

According to the Gyeongnam Regional Branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union on September 16, a female worker, referred to as “A,” who works for Bombom Tech, an in-house painting subcontractor at Hanwha Ocean, injured her ankle while working in December last year. A hospital examination found that she had suffered a ruptured ligament and required surgery. She requested that the injury be handled as an industrial accident, but the subcontractor’s representative instead proposed handling the matter privately through company-paid compensation rather than workers’ compensation.

According to an audio recording disclosed by the union, the company representative suggested a specific false account of how the accident had occurred. The representative reportedly said, “If you are injured at the company, we have to report it to the principal contractor’s accident investigation team. But if you say you twisted your ankle while coming to work, we don’t have to report it to them.” He continued, “You can say that you twisted your ankle near your home, went to the hospital because it hurt, and found out that the ligament was ruptured. You can say that you initially tried to receive treatment on your own, but the pain became worse and you eventually had to get proper treatment. Then we can enter the appropriate date.”

He also allegedly said, “We need to get our stories straight. Let’s say it happened somewhere near your home where there is no CCTV.”

To keep the matter confidential, he reportedly instructed the worker, “Do not tell any of the other workers about this.”

When the worker expressed concern, the representative reassured her by saying that she could still file an industrial accident compensation claim later if she suffered aftereffects. He reportedly said, “If we inform the Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service in advance, and you undergo surgery and treatment but your condition later becomes worse, you can then file an industrial accident claim.” Ultimately, the accident was handled privately rather than through industrial accident compensation insurance. An Industrial Accident Investigation Report was submitted to the Ministry of Employment and Labor describing the incident as a commuting accident, while the accident itself was not reported to Hanwha Ocean, the principal contractor. After undergoing ankle surgery and treatment, the worker returned to work on June 5 this year.

The union also claims that the worker was subsequently removed from her duties after it raised allegations that the industrial accident had been concealed. On September 9, the union branch formally notified Hanwha Ocean of the suspected concealment. The following day, September 10, a manager at the subcontractor removed the worker from her duties and required her to submit a fitness-for-work assessment. The union argues that these measures constituted retaliatory action against the worker for disclosing the alleged concealment of the industrial accident.

Hanwha Ocean began investigating the facts of the case with the worker on September 14 and referred the matter to its Sanctions Review Committee for subcontractors. The committee is scheduled to convene today.

Subcontractor Accident Rate Less Than Half That of Direct Employees

“Company Must Determine the Extent of Accident Concealment and Take Preventive Measures”

The union argues that indications of industrial accident concealment can also be found in Hanwha Ocean’s accident statistics. According to the 2023 integrated industrial accident statistics for principal contractors and subcontractors submitted by Hanwha Ocean to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 379 of the company’s 8,213 direct employees suffered industrial accidents, representing an accident rate of 4.6%. By contrast, 344 of 16,281 subcontracted workers suffered industrial accidents, resulting in an accident rate of 2.1%.

The union argues that it is difficult to accept that the industrial accident rate among subcontracted workers is less than half that of directly employed workers, particularly because subcontracted workers reportedly perform more than 70% of direct production work in the shipbuilding industry. The union estimated that if the same industrial accident rate applicable to Hanwha Ocean’s direct employees were applied to subcontracted workers, the number of injured subcontracted workers would amount to approximately 751.

The union claims that one reason subcontractors conceal industrial accidents is that principal contractors impose disadvantages on subcontractors when industrial accidents occur.

At a press conference held at the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government Press Center that morning, the union stated:

“The subcontractor representative’s own words show that the motivation and reason for concealing industrial accidents is not the Ministry of Employment and Labor, but rather Hanwha Ocean, the principal contractor.”

The union further demanded:

“Rather than repeatedly stating that subcontractors suffer no disadvantages when industrial accidents occur, Hanwha Ocean should determine why subcontractors conceal industrial accidents, investigate the actual extent of such practices, and establish measures to eradicate the concealment of industrial accidents.”

A Hanwha Ocean official responded:

“There is no system under which subcontractors are disadvantaged simply because an industrial accident occurs. On the contrary, subcontractors are subject to disadvantages if they conceal industrial accidents.”

The official added:

“After our internal review committee determines whether concealment occurred and examines the circumstances, sanctions will be imposed depending on the findings, up to and including termination of the subcontract.”

Reporter: Lim Se-woong Published: September 17, 2026, 6:30 a.m. Email: [imsw@labortoday.co.kr]

Source:Maeil Labor News (Labor Today)