Foreseen 'Bread Factory Pinching Accident'? ... Half of Food Manufacturers Violate 'Safety-Related Laws'

Ministry of Employment and Labor Conducts On-Site Inspections at 1,297 Food Manufacturing Companies
Higher Violation Rate Among Workplaces with 50 or More Employees Subject to Serious Accident Punishment Act

On the 17th of last month, an employee at the SPL Pyeongtaek factory was inspecting a source agitator of the same model next to the machine where a worker in their 20s died two days earlier. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jeong-wan] Despite the fatal accident involving a worker caught in machinery at the SPC-affiliated SPL bakery factory last month, it has been revealed that half of the food manufacturing companies did not comply with basic safety management rules.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 9th that, following on-site inspections conducted from October 24 to November 2 at 1,297 food manufacturing companies, violations of safety measures were detected at 643 sites (49.6%). This inspection is part of the Ministry's ongoing 'Intensive Crackdown Period on Hazardous and Dangerous Machinery and Equipment.'

Earlier, on October 15, a woman in her 20s died after her upper body was caught in a mixing machine used to make sandwich sauce at the SPL bakery factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. In response, the Ministry announced it would operate a crackdown period as a follow-up measure.

The first phase, from October 24 to November 13, is a voluntary inspection and improvement period allowing companies to self-check and make improvements. The second phase, from November 14 to December 2, involves unannounced inspections. During this period, if safety measures are found lacking, administrative actions such as suspension orders and fines will be imposed, along with judicial actions including the indictment of company representatives.

The inspection results showed that 50.4% of food manufacturing companies improved safety measures themselves through voluntary inspections before labor inspectors visited, such as installing additional safety nets on mixers. However, 49.6% were found to have additional deficiencies, such as the absence of protective devices. The Ministry requested these companies to make corrections and submit improvement results by today. Failure to submit will lead to further supervision.

Notably, the violation rate among workplaces with 50 or more employees (196 sites), which are subject to the Serious Accident Punishment Act, was 56.6%, higher than the 48.3% violation rate of workplaces with fewer than 50 employees (1,101 sites). Accordingly, the Ministry plans to increase the proportion of workplaces with 50 or more employees in the unannounced inspection targets. The total number of unannounced inspection targets is about 2,000.

Regarding fatal accidents occurring during this period, the Ministry intends to more clearly hold responsible parties accountable for intentional negligence. However, for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, where safety management capabilities are weak and fatal accidents frequently occur, the Ministry plans to continue projects that provide on-site risk inspections, guidance, and support for safety measure costs.

On this day, designated as the 'On-site Inspection Day,' the Ministry conducted checks nationwide on compliance with the three major safety measures at workplaces and inspected 28 types of hazardous and dangerous machinery and equipment, including food mixers. Choi Tae-ho, Director of Industrial Accident Prevention and Supervision Policy at the Ministry, said, "Please confirm and improve safety measures not just to prepare for unannounced inspections but to genuinely protect workers' lives."