[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has identified 17 companies that failed to properly manage hazardous chemical substances.
The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 12th that from March 2 to April 30, they investigated 121 business sites handling more than 500 tons of hazardous chemical substances within the province and found 17 sites violating the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act and the Firefighting Facilities Act due to illegal handling of hazardous materials.
Among the cases detected, Company A located in Pyeongtaek City was caught storing 16,000 liters of acetone, which is more than 40 times the designated quantity of 400 liters, not in a storage facility but on the company’s vacant lot. According to the current Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, storing acetone exceeding 400 liters requires approval from the competent authority.
Company B in Ansan City was also caught storing Class 4 hazardous materials, specifically first petroleum products (thinner), amounting to 28.5 times the designated quantity, inside the factory instead of a storage facility.
Company C in Yeoncheon City was found to have stored and used 2 tons of sodium persulfate (Class 1 hazardous material), an unapproved item, inside an indoor storage facility authorized only for Class 4 hazardous materials. Notably, this company was caught storing Class 4 hazardous material (formic acid) and Class 1 hazardous material (sodium persulfate) mixed together.
The special judicial police also confirmed acts of closing and blocking firefighting facilities throughout the business sites during this investigation. In particular, three companies that intentionally closed or blocked major facilities were criminally charged, and three others were reported to the relevant fire stations for fines due to neglecting broken fire pumps.
The special judicial police found that companies holding hazardous chemical substances mainly used for wastewater treatment, dyeing, plating, and semiconductor cleaning processes, which require strict storage and handling, were also found to possess hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantities in violation of regulations.
According to the current Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, companies storing hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantity at unauthorized locations face imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 30 million KRW, and companies mixing hazardous materials outside the approved items face fines up to 15 million KRW. Additionally, under the Firefighting Facilities Act, acts of closing or blocking firefighting facilities are punishable by imprisonment of up to five years or fines up to 50 million KRW.
Kim Min-kyung, head of the Gyeonggi Province Civil Affairs Special Judicial Police, stated, "Hazardous materials vary greatly in accident risk depending on their storage and handling conditions, and once a safety accident occurs, it can cause multiple casualties, so thorough management is required." She added, "We plan to continue investigations until all blind spots in management are eliminated."
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