Allegations of Violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act and Others
The Gyeonggi Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted an investigation into the fire accident that occurred last June at Arisel, a primary battery manufacturing company in Hwaseong. As a result, three individuals, including the management officer and general director of the battery manufacturing company, as well as the actual manager of a related company, were sent to the prosecution on the 6th with a 'prosecution opinion' on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and the Dispatch Act.
Immediately after the incident, the Gyeonggi Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor formed a dedicated investigation team, conducted on-site inspections and searches, summoned and interrogated 42 related parties including witnesses and suspects, and detained two management officers for investigation. As a result, the investigation was completed 75 days after the incident and was handed over to the prosecution.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor judged that the manufacturing company handling materials with high risks of fire and explosion neglected to fulfill its obligations under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. It also determined that the management officer's failure to fulfill duties led to the failure to implement safety measures, resulting in a fatal accident.
Additionally, it was found that the accident occurred due to complex issues such as allowing workers to perform tasks without training on hazardous materials while they were unskilled. It was also confirmed that there was a violation of the Dispatch Act by receiving workers from a company without dispatch permission and assigning them to direct production process tasks that are not subject to dispatch work.
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