As industry advances and increases in scale, industrial accidents such as fire, breakdowns, explosions, and chemical leakage are becoming more frequent at various worksites and facilities. The ongoing expeditious development of technology has established occupational safety as a field that is increasingly becoming sophisticated and heavily regulated. Various industries are now facing stricter regulations due to increased societal demand for a safe and healthful work environment, and as such, systematic legal risk management is becoming a necessity for many corporations.

As such, following the legislation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act on January 8, 2021, Lee & Ko has taken the initiative among large law firms in Korea to reorganize and expand its existing Occupational Safe Team to Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team to draw upon Lee & Ko’s extensive experience and expertise in occupational safety, and provide a specific and practical solution to clients.

Lee & Ko's Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team shall provide the optimal legal services to clients on matters relating to occupational safety and health, as well as issues concerning a ‘major public accident’ (accidents resulting in a certain level of harm to human lives and body due to defective design, manufacture, installation, or management of specific materials or products, public facilities or public transportation) damage to human lives and body as defined in the newly legislated Serious Accident Punishment Act.

Lee & Ko’s Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team draws on the collective knowledge, experience, and skills of 30 professionals and lawyers from various backgrounds relevant to occupational safety and Serious Accidents such as criminal law, labor & employment, environment, and construction. Our professionals have extensive experience working with relevant governmental authorities such as the prosecution, police, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Employment and Labor, and are able to work closely with our leading lawyers to comprehensively assist clients on issues relating to occupational safety and Serious Accidents at all levels of their operations.

One-Stop Service
The Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team possesses a “one-stop service” capability and is able to address all of our client’s potential needs with a deep understanding of the client’s business and market-leading expertise in service areas relating to occupational safety and Serious Accidents such as the establishment of occupational safety and health management system to prevent industrial accidents, advice on prevention and resolution of disputes relating to occupational safety and Serious Accidents, and government relations.

Lee & Ko is well known for the close cooperation between its various practice groups. Specifically, practice teams related to occupational safety and Serious Accidents – environment, labor & employment, corporate governance, antitrust & competition, data privacy, human rights, anti-corruption – routinely collaborate to draw on Lee & Ko's resources and comprehensive capabilities to benefit our clients.

Extensive Experience and Capabilities
The Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team's experts have decades of experience representing clients, both foreign and domestic, and is well-positioned to assist clients at any time with comprehensive legal service based on the team's extensive experience and expertise in all major service areas

On a particular note, Lee & Ko's extensive experience with global accounting firms and environmental and safety consulting firms has helped it establish itself as a leader in the field of regulatory compliance and assessment.

Deep Understanding of Clients and Large Network
Moreover, based on our deep understanding of Korean business culture and industry, we would like to emphasize our devotion to client needs and smooth communication with clients based on our deep understanding of Korean business culture and industry. Our team's devotion and outstanding capabilities are unparalleled and allow us to assist clients promptly at all-levels of their operations proactively.

Maintaining smooth relations with competent authorities, occupational safety NGOs, labor unions, and the local community is essential to provide effective legal services relating to occupational safety.

The Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team is able to approach clients' legal issues from various perspectives to prepare a comprehensive response strategy and provide the optimal solution to our clients for regulatory compliance, authoritative interpretation of regulations, and response to a civil petition.

In addition, Lee & Ko has experience effectively advising foreign corporations regarding issues relating to occupational safety and Serious Accidents and has an extensive network that can mediate various stakeholders' differing interests.

Expertise

1. Response to Administrative Disposition

Laws regulating occupational safety and product safety are complex as new subregulations are continuously introduced to accommodate the changing times, making it difficult for even the most experienced professionals and experts to stay on top of the changing regulatory environment. However, violation of such regulations could result in the imposition of penalties, punitive damages, suspension of work, and suspension/cancellation of work suspension, which could expose clients’ business to significant risk.

Based on a systematic analysis of laws and regulations relating to occupational safety and a deep understanding of the industry, our experts in the Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team has been able to successfully respond to various administrative dispositions against our clients based on our team’s detailed analysis of applicable laws and regulations, excellent understanding of relevant facts, and proper response to relevant competent authorities.

2. Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Regulatory Compliance Counseling

Today’s environmental laws concerning occupational and product safety are complex and variable. Our Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team provides sophisticated, pragmatic counseling to businesses to ensure compliance with all applicable EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety) laws and regulations.

3. Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Managing a business involves a risk of an accident relating to occupational safety and products at a business place, resulting in complicated legal issues. In this connection, the number of civil petitions or litigations involving workers, labor unions, and subcontractors has been rising. Lee & Ko's Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team is able to provide all kinds of support to assist clients in resolving their legal disputes concerning major industrial accidents, major public accidents, occupational safety, and the safety of various chemical substances and products.

As damages from industrial accidents are increasingly becoming more serious, the government has introduced stricter regulations against such accidents. In addition to administrative dispositions imposed on the corporation, certain directors and employees are now subject to criminal punishment. In this connection, our Occupational SafetyᆞSerious Accidents Team can assist our clients in minimizing the risks associated with occupational safety. Specifically, on multiple occasions, the team successfully obtained suspension of indictment and acquittals in matters where clients’ initial response was inadequate.

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Major Cases

Advised and represented in connection with metal leakage of water purifiers
Advised and represented in connection with litigation concerning the damage attributable to humidifier disinfectants
Advised multinational consumer goods manufacturer regarding development of Standard Operation Procedure
Represented a client in relation to a concrete structure destruction accident (a serious accident) of a logistics center construction site at Icheon
Represented a client in connection with a freezer warehouse fire accident (a serious accident) at West Icheon
Represented a client in a fire accident during work involving urethane works at a freezer warehouse at Icheon
Represented a client in connection with a fire accident (a serious accident) during interior demolition of Center Point Mall at Dongtan
Represented a client in connection with the interior installation fire accident at Goyang terminal (a serious accident)
Defended a construction company in relation to a falling accident during the installation of a freight lift (a serious accident)
Defended a construction company in connection with a concrete structure falling accident (a serious accident)
Defended power plants in a coal dust explosion accident (one worker died, four wounded)
Advised and represented power plants on leakage of hazardous chemicals such as hydrochloric acid
Represented power plants in serious accidents concerning electrical shocks
Advised on the bus falling accident at the Incheon bridge (14 passengers died)
Advised an electronics company in an industrial accident concerning falling of heavy objects (one worker died, and one wounded)
Represented a client in a matter relating to the storage station explosion in Goyang (a serious accident)
Represented a client in a matter relating to a falling accident in the Banghwa Bridge (a serious accident)