Ministry of Employment Conducts Intensive Special Inspection of Korea Zinc Following Deaths of Two Workers

11 Deaths Over 5 Years... "Strong Doubts About Willingness to Improve"

Exterior view of the Korea Zinc ESS Center. (Photo by Asia Economy DB)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Authorities have launched a stringent inspection of Korea Zinc following the deaths of two workers.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 31st of last month that it would conduct a special industrial safety inspection of Korea Zinc. The target of the inspection is the Korea Zinc Onsan Smelter in Ulju-gun, Ulsan City, where the accident occurred.

At the Onsan Smelter, two workers collapsed and died while working in a container the day before. It is presumed that they suffocated due to oxygen deficiency caused by nitrogen during the process of cooling molten metal using nitrogen and other gases.

The Onsan Smelter was listed consecutively in 2019 and last year among workplaces with a high "integrated accident fatality rate for primary and subcontracted workers." The integrated accident fatality rate refers to the proportion of accident fatalities among workers combining both primary contractors and subcontractors. The Ministry of Employment and Labor annually publishes a list of workplaces with over 1,000 employees where this rate is higher than that of the primary contractors. Being ranked high on this list means that the frequency of fatal accidents among subcontracted workers is correspondingly high.

Including this recent accident, 11 workers have died in accidents at the Onsan Smelter over the past five years since 2016. The Ministry expressed serious doubts about the company's willingness to improve the current situation, stating, "There is a strong need for rigorous supervision to break the chain of fatal accidents."

During this inspection, if additional risk factors are identified, the Ministry plans to expand the scope of work stoppage. The Ministry emphasized, "Work will not resume until safety is ensured." They will guide the company to identify and improve overall issues in the safety and health management system and, if necessary, issue orders to increase the number of safety and health managers.

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk stated that strong measures such as work stoppage will be taken at workplaces where fatal accidents continue to occur, adding, "To ensure safety becomes the top priority of management, business leaders must firmly commit to establishing a safety and health management system and promote industrial accident prevention."