Labor authorities have begun to investigate the facts about the accident in which two people died in a publicity vehicle for presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party.



As the Serious Accident Punishment Act came into effect on the 27th of last month, there is also interest in whether this law will be applied to this fatal accident.



According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Labor is investigating the exact cause of the accident after checking whether carbon monoxide was detected inside the vehicle in the accident yesterday (15th).



An official from the Ministry of Labor said, "We are investigating together with the police, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."



The official declined to comment on the possibility of applying the Serious Disaster Punishment Act, saying, "It is too early to judge."



Earlier, at about 5:24 pm yesterday, another party member found party member A (63) and bus driver B (50) unconscious in the bus for candidate Ahn Yoo Se-yong, which was stopped on the road in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do.



It is known that they were already in cardiac arrest at the time of discovery.



The key to the Serious Accident Punishment Act is that, in the event of a serious industrial accident such as the death of a worker at a workplace with 50 or more regular workers, the person in charge of management who fails to fulfill his/her duties and responsibilities to prevent the accident can be punished.



The recent burial in Yangju, Gyeonggi, where three people died, and the explosion in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, in which eight people were killed or injured, are typical serious industrial accidents.



There is some controversy as to whether the death of the Euse bus is a serious disaster.



Serious accidents are broadly divided into major industrial accidents and major civil accidents.




A serious industrial accident is an accident in which a worker dies while working or working.



The Labor Standards Act defines a worker as 'a person who provides work for the purpose of wages, regardless of the type of job'.



The two deceased are party members and bus drivers, respectively, with different identities, but if they are paid, they are all classified as workers.



However, if the number of regular workers at the workplace where the accident occurred is less than 50, it is excluded from the application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act.



In the case of this accident, it is not yet known whether the place of business under the law is the People's Party or a company that has signed a contract with the People's Party.



Before counting the number of full-time workers, it is important to determine where the workplace is located.



Even if it is concluded that this accident is not a serious industrial accident, it may be subject to the Serious Accident Punishment Act if it is determined as a serious civil accident.



A serious civil accident is an accident in which a person other than a worker is killed due to a defect in a specific raw material or product, public facilities, or public transportation.



Among the dead, Party members who do not receive wages are not workers and may be classified as victims of serious civil accidents.



An official from the Ministry of Labor said, "Identification of the employment relationship is an urgent task." "Depending on where the contract was signed, whether the law applies or the subject of investigation may differ."



The Ministry of Labor is very cautious in that the accident occurred during the election campaign of a major candidate at a sensitive time just 20 days before the presidential election.



The police are looking into the possibility that carbon monoxide generated during the operation of the screen power generation device entered the bus and suffocated Mr.



The police and the Ministry of Labor are planning to check whether the safety rules have been properly announced.



In an emergency briefing yesterday, the People's Party said, "I heard that (screen installation) companies have announced safety rules in advance that they should operate with the door open because there is a possibility of carbon monoxide when operating LEDs."



Professor Kwon Soon-won of Sookmyung Women's University said, "It seems that the application of the Serious Accident Punishment Act will be decided depending on the working relationship of the deceased, the relationship of command and supervision, and the safety and health management system of the workplace."



(Photo = Yonhap News)