Ministry of Employment and Labor publishes list of 37 workplaces subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, including Yeongpo Refinery (4 casualties) and Ilgwang Polymer (3-year prison sentence)

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

As the Ministry of Employment and Labor disclosed the names of 37 workplaces where criminal penalties have been finalized for violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, Yeongpo Refinery was included among the published sites. On the 15th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had published the list of 37 workplaces where serious industrial accidents occurred and whose sentences were finalized and notified in the first half of this year, along with details of the accidents and their causes, on the Government Gazette and the ministry’s website, in accordance with Article 13 of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and Article 12 of its Enforcement Decree.

Yeongpo Refinery, whose name was disclosed this time, is the first workplace where a top executive has been detained and indicted since the implementation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. According to legal circles, it is known that the representative director of Yeongpo received a final sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison with a 3-year suspended sentence at the final trial.

According to the published content, an accident occurred on December 6, 2023, inside Yeongpo Refinery located in Bonghwa County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, during the replacement of a tank motor, resulting in the leakage of trisodium antimonite. One worker died from acute poisoning and three others were injured in the accident.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained that the cause of the accident was that "despite handling hazardous substances subject to management in an indoor workplace, equipment to seal sources of gas, vapor, or dust emission or local exhaust devices were not installed," adding that "the accident occurred because workers were not informed about matters related to preventing health hazards."

Furthermore, the Ministry of Employment and Labor specified through the Government Gazette that the representative director of Yeongpo had not lawfully fulfilled measures regarding the establishment and implementation of a safety and health management system. The unfulfilled regulations include, under Article 4 of the Enforcement Decree of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act: △establishing a dedicated organization for safety and health duties, △preparing procedures for identifying and improving hazardous and dangerous factors, △granting authority and budget to the head of safety and health management and establishing evaluation criteria, and △establishing safety and health evaluation criteria and procedures when outsourcing or commissioning work. In addition, it was reported that the company also violated administrative measures under Article 5 of the Enforcement Decree, which stipulates measures such as budget planning and execution in case of non-fulfillment of legal obligations, in accordance with laws and regulations related to safety and health.

As authorities disclosed the circumstances of the accident at the time and the specific status of legal violations, attention from political circles and civil society regarding Yeongpo’s current state of safety and health management is increasing.

Ilgwang Polymer, a plastic manufacturer where a fatality occurred due to an explosion inside equipment, was also included in the list. In March 2022, an explosion occurred while drying electric vehicle parts cleaned with ethanol at its Secheon Plant No. 2 in Chungcheongnam-do Province, resulting in the death of one worker.

Kim Young-hoon, Noh Dong-bu (Minister), emphasized regarding this list disclosure that "'Safety' cannot be overemphasized, and particularly, the firm safety awareness and actions of top executives who oversee and manage the business guarantee on-site safety," adding that "the Ministry of Employment and Labor will provide support such as accident prevention consulting for small and medium-sized enterprises, while holding accountable workplaces where serious accidents occur through strict investigations."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original