Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 97누13009

Revocation of Non-Payment Decision on Survivor Benefits유족급여등부지급처분취소

Decided1997. 11. 14. Court대법원Employer won
AI-generated English translation (summary, key points, decision summary and full text) for reference only — not an official translation and without legal effect. The Korean original below is authoritative.
AI Easy read — AI summary of this decision
AI-generated summary for reference only — the Korean original below is authoritative.

In this case, an employee died in a traffic accident while commuting to work in his own personal vehicle. Although the company provided fuel expense support, the Supreme Court held that this was not an industrial accident (업무상 재해) because the employee, not the employer, retained control and management authority over the vehicle.

Key takeaways
  • CaseAn employee died in a car accident while commuting to work using his own personal vehicle, for which the company provided fuel expense support.
  • OutcomeThe court ruled this was not an industrial accident because the employee, not the employer, controlled and managed the vehicle and the commuting route.
  • LessonSimply subsidizing an employee's commuting costs does not make the employer liable for accidents during commutes made in the employee's own vehicle under the employee's own discretion.
Issues
  • What requirements must be met for an accident occurring during commuting to qualify as an industrial accident (업무상 재해)
  • Whether an accident occurring while commuting in a personal vehicle was under the employer's control and management (지배·관리)
Key reasoning

For an accident occurring during commuting to be recognized as an industrial accident (업무상 재해), the commute must have been under the employer's control and management (지배·관리). Where an employee uses his own personal vehicle and freely chooses his own route and method of commuting, the mere fact that the employer subsidized fuel costs does not establish that the employer controlled or managed the commute. Since the employee here exercised independent discretion over how and when he traveled, the employer's limited financial support was insufficient to bring the commute within the employer's control. Therefore, the fatal accident could not be classified as an industrial accident, and survivor benefits (유족급여) were properly denied.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[1]
"Industrial accident" under Article 4, Subparagraph 1 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (산업재해보상보험법) refers to an accident that occurs in the course of an employee performing work duties or activities incidental thereto under the employment contract with the employer and under the employer's control and management, arising from such work. Accordingly, an employee commuting to and from work is generally free to choose the method and route of commuting, and thus cannot be deemed to be under the employer's control or management during such commute. Therefore, in order for an accident occurring during commuting to be recognized as an industrial accident, it must fall under circumstances where the employee's commuting process can be deemed to be under the employer's control and management, such as where the employee uses a vehicle or other means of transportation provided by the employer, or uses a means of transportation equivalent thereto as designated by the employer.

[2]
Where a company employee, having freely chosen the method and route of commuting, was driving his own vehicle to work and caused a traffic accident by crossing the center line, thereby suffering injury, the case held that even if the company subsidized the fuel for the vehicle in accordance with company regulations, since the authority to manage and use the vehicle actually belonged to the said employee, the employee's commuting process at the time of the accident could not be deemed to have been under the control and management of the employer company, and therefore the injury sustained by the employee in the traffic accident does not constitute an industrial accident.

Full text (English, AI translation) 5,005 chars

[Plaintiff, Appellant]

[Defendant, Appellee] Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (근로복지공단)

[Judgment Below]

Seoul High Court Decision 96Gu26260 decided June 24, 1997

[Order]

The appeal is dismissed. The costs of the appeal shall be borne by the Plaintiff.

[Reasoning]

We examine the grounds of appeal.

An occupational accident under Article 4, Item 1 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (산업재해보상보험법) refers to an accident that arises out of and in the course of an employee's performance of work duties, or ordinary activities incidental thereto, while under the control and management of the employer pursuant to an employment contract with the employer. Accordingly, an employee commuting to or from work may generally choose the means and route of commuting at his or her own discretion, and thus cannot be said to be under the control or management of the employer during such commute. Therefore, for an accident occurring during commuting to be recognized as an occupational accident, it must fall under circumstances in which the employee's commuting process can be regarded as being under the employer's control and management, such as where the employee uses transportation provided by the employer, such as a vehicle, or uses a means of transportation equivalent thereto as designated by the employer (see Supreme Court Decision 95Nu6946 delivered on September 15, 1995; Supreme Court Decision 95Nu16769 delivered on February 9, 1996; Supreme Court Decision 96Nu10843 delivered on November 15, 1996, etc.).

According to the reasoning of the judgment below, the court below found the following facts: the Plaintiff's son, Nonparty 1, joined Nonparty Kisan Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Nonparty Company") on April 11, 1994, and had been working as a construction engineer at the factory extension construction site of Nonparty Kia Motors Corporation located in Soha-dong, Gwangmyeong-si; on September 29, 1995, while driving his own passenger car from the house of Nonparty○○○, located in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon-si, which served as his lodging, in order to go to work, he was proceeding at approximately 6:30 a.m. on the first lane of a three-lane one-way road in front of Deokan Gas Station in Soha 2-dong, Gwangmyeong-si, when he crossed the center line and collided with a 25-seat minibus driven by Nonparty ○○○ traveling from the opposite direction, resulting in his death. The court below further found that Nonparty Company, in order to reduce the costs incurred in operating company-owned vehicles by having employees who owned their own vehicles use them for work purposes during working hours, and to improve work efficiency through direct driving by such employee-owners, had, pursuant to its guidelines on the payment of fuel and maintenance expenses for employee-owned vehicles, provided unlimited fuel necessary for the performance of duties to field staff who owned private vehicles, such as the deceased, without maintaining or recording a vehicle log or fuel usage ledger. The court below also found that, because the simple lodging facility at the construction site was cramped, the deceased had been using the house of ○○○, a fellow employee at the same site, as his lodging; that on the night before the accident he attended a dinner gathering arranged by Nonparty Company, returned to his lodging in the early morning, and was driving to work early in the morning when, due to drowsy driving, he crossed the center line. Based on these findings, the court below determined that the deceased had freely chosen the method and route of commuting and was driving his own vehicle to work when the traffic accident occurred and he suffered the injury; that even though, pursuant to Nonparty Company's regulations, the employer, Nonparty Company, subsidized the fuel for the vehicle, the authority to manage and use the vehicle in fact belonged to the deceased; and that, therefore, the deceased's commuting process at the time of the accident could not be regarded as having been under the control and management of the employer, Nonparty Company, and accordingly, the injury suffered by the deceased in the traffic accident as described above did not constitute an occupational accident.

Upon examination of the record in light of the legal principles set forth above, the fact-finding and determination of the court below are justified, and the judgment below cannot be found to contain any error in violation of the rules of evidence resulting in a misapprehension of facts, or any error of law due to misunderstanding of the legal principles concerning occupational accidents, as alleged in the grounds of appeal.

Therefore, the appeal is dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the losing party. This Decision is rendered in accordance with the unanimous opinion of the participating Justices, as set forth in the Order.

Justice Ji Chang-kwon (Presiding Justice), Cheon Gyeong-song, Shin Seong-taek, Song Jin-hoon (Justice in charge)

【판결요지】

[1] 산업재해보상보험법 제4조 제1호 소정의 업무상의 재해라 함은 근로자가 사업주와의 근로계약에 기하여 사업주의 지배·관리하에서 근로업무의 수행 또는 그에 수반되는 통상적인 활동을 하는 과정에서 이러한 업무에 기인하여 발생한 재해를 말하므로, 출·퇴근 중의 근로자는 일반적으로 그 방법과 경로를 선택할 수 있어 사용자의 지배 또는 관리하에 있다고 볼 수 없고, 따라서 출·퇴근 중에 발생한 재해가 업무상의 재해로 인정되기 위하여는 사용자가 근로자에게 제공한 차량 등의 교통수단을 이용하거나 사용자가 이에 준하는 교통수단을 이용하도록 하여 근로자의 출·퇴근 과정이 사용자의 지배·관리하에 있다고 볼 수 있는 경우에 해당되어야 한다.

[2] 회사원이 출근방법과 그 경로를 임의로 선택하여 그 소유의 차량을 운전하고 출근하던 도중 중앙선을 침범하는 교통사고를 야기하여 재해를 당한 경우, 비록 회사의 규정에 따라 회사가 그 차량의 유류를 보조하였다 하더라도 차량에 대한 관리·사용권한은 실제로 위 회사원에게 속하여 있었으므로, 사고 당시 위 회사원의 통근과정이 사용자인 회사의 지배·관리하에 있었다고 볼 수 없어 위 회사원이 교통사고로 입은 재해는 업무상 재해에 해당하지 않는다고 한 사례.

【참조조문】

[1] 산업재해보상보험법 제4조 제1호

[2] 산업재해보상보험법 제4조 제1호

【참조판례】

[1][2] 대법원 1995. 9. 15. 선고 95누6946 판결(공1995하, 3435), 대법원 1996. 2. 9. 선고 95누16769 판결(공1996상, 982), 대법원 1996. 11. 15. 선고 96누10843 판결

【주문】·【이유】 전문 1,806자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고,상고인】

【피고,피상고인】 근로복지공단

【원심판결】 서울고법 1997. 6. 24. 선고 96구26260 판결

【주문】

상고를 기각한다. 상고비용은 원고의 부담으로 한다.

【이유】 상고이유를 본다.

산업재해보상보험법 제4조 제1호 소정의 업무상의 재해라 함은 근로자가 사업주와의 근로계약에 기하여 사업주의 지배·관리하에서 근로업무의 수행 또는 그에 수반되는 통상적인 활동을 하는 과정에서 이러한 업무에 기인하여 발생한 재해를 말하므로, 출·퇴근 중의 근로자는 일반적으로 그 방법과 경로를 선택할 수 있어 사용자의 지배 또는 관리하에 있다고 볼 수 없고, 따라서 출·퇴근 중에 발생한 재해가 업무상의 재해로 인정되기 위하여는 사용자가 근로자에게 제공한 차량 등의 교통수단을 이용하거나 사용자가 이에 준하는 교통수단을 이용하도록 하여 근로자의 출·퇴근 과정이 사용자의 지배·관리하에 있다고 볼 수 있는 경우에 해당되어야 할 것이다 ( 대법원 1995. 9. 15. 선고 95누6946 판결, 1996. 2. 9. 선고 95누16769 판결, 1996. 11. 15. 선고 96누10843 판결 등 참조).

원심판결 이유에 의하면, 원심은, 원고의 아들인 소외 소외 1이 1994. 4. 11. 소외 주식회사 기산(이하 소외 회사라 한다)에 입사하여 광명시 소하동 소재 소외 기아자동차 주식회사의 공장 증축공사 현장에서 건축기사로 근무하여 오던 중, 1995. 9. 29. 출근하기 위하여 그 소유의 승용차를 운전하고 숙소인 수원시 권선구 소재 소외 ○○○의 집을 출발한 후 같은 날 06:30경 광명시 소하 2동 소재 덕안주유소 앞 편도 3차로 도로의 1차로상을 진행하다가 중앙선을 침범함으로써 반대방향에서 진행하여 오던 소외 ○○○ 운전의 25인승 미니버스와 충돌하는 사고를 일으켜 사망에 이른 사실, 그런데 소외 회사는 자가운전자의 차량을 일과 시간 중 업무용으로 운행하게 함으로써 공용차량 운영시 소요되는 경비를 절감하고 자가운전자의 직접 운전으로 업무능률을 향상시키기 위하여, 자가운전자 유류 및 관리비 지급지침에 따라 망인과 같이 자가용차량을 소유한 현장직원에게는 차량일지나 유류사용대장 등을 비치하거나 기록하지 않고 업무수행에 필요한 유류를 제한없이 지급하여 온 사실, 한편 망인은 공사현장의 간이숙소가 비좁아 같은 현장의 직원인 ○○○의 집을 숙소로 이용하고 있었고, 사고 전날 소외 회사에서 마련한 저녁회식에 참석한 후 새벽에 숙소로 돌아갔다가 아침 일찍 출근하던 중 졸음운전으로 인하여 중앙선을 침범하게 된 사실을 각 인정한 다음, 망인은 출근방법과 그 경로를 임의로 선택하여 그 소유의 차량을 운전하고 출근하던 도중에 교통사고가 발생하여 재해를 당한 것으로서, 비록 소외 회사의 규정에 따라 사업주인 소외 회사가 그 차량의 유류를 보조하였다 하더라도 차량에 대한 관리·사용권한은 실제로 망인에게 속하여 있었으므로, 사고 당시 망인의 통근과정이 사용자인 소외 회사의 지배·관리하에 있었다고 볼 수 없어 위와 같이 망인이 교통사고로 입은 재해는 업무상 재해에 해당하지 않는다고 판단하였다.

기록과 앞서 본 법리에 비추어 살펴보면, 이와 같은 원심의 사실인정과 판단은 정당하고, 원심판결에 상고이유에서 주장하는바와 같은 채증법칙 위배로 인한 사실오인이나 업무상 재해에 관한 법리오해의 위법이 있다고 할 수 없다.

그러므로 상고를 기각하고, 상고비용은 패소자의 부담으로 하기로 하여 관여 법관의 일치된 의견으로 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 지창권(재판장) 천경송 신성택 송진훈(주심)

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