A Series of Fatal Accidents at Jeil Industries and Hansol Paper
Hansol Paper Raided Just One Day After President Lee's Strong Response
Paper Industry Could Face Its First Case Under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act
As President Lee Jaemyung has defined industrial accident fatalities as "willful negligence," bringing the issue of workplace safety management back into the spotlight, a series of fatal accidents at paper mills is further heightening tensions within the industry.
According to industry sources on the 31st, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the police are continuing their investigation into a recent fatal accident at the Jeil Industries plant in Anseong. Jeil Industries, a subsidiary of Asia Paper, manufactures and processes corrugated cardboard boxes.
According to the investigating authorities, on the 22nd, a worker in his 30s, employed by the main contractor at this plant, noticed a malfunction in the equipment used to transport corrugated cardboard rolls. As he approached to check, his upper body became trapped between the suddenly moving equipment and a wall. He was transported to the hospital but did not survive. The Gyeonggi Employment and Labor Office plans to take additional measures after determining whether the company violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act or the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
Kim Jongyun, Director of the Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, is inspecting the accident site at Hansol Paper Sintanjin Plant where a worker died on the 17th. Ministry of Employment and Labor
Meanwhile, on the morning of the previous day, investigative authorities including the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a search and seizure at Hansol Paper’s Daejeon Shintanjin plant and its Seoul headquarters. On the 16th, at Hansol Paper’s Daejeon plant, a worker in his 30s employed by the main contractor died after falling through an opening on top of a waste paper shredding facility that he failed to notice while transporting waste paper.
The investigation revealed that there was no safety net installed over the opening to prevent worker falls. An official from the investigative authorities stated, "Not only was there no fall prevention device on the machine where the accident occurred, but we also found deficiencies in other safety devices and are currently investigating. Given the seriousness of the incident, we will conduct a thorough investigation."
The paper industry is reportedly in a state of shock. If Hansol Paper is found to have violated the Serious Accidents Punishment Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act, not only the safety manager but also the CEO, chairman, and other executives could face prosecution depending on the outcome of the investigation. If Hansol Paper is prosecuted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, it would be the first such case in the industry.
A stack of white cardboard base paper is piled up in the automated warehouse of Hansol Paper Daejeon Plant. Asia Economy DB
Since Hansol Paper is a leading company in the industry, there are concerns that the entire paper sector could become significantly more rigid depending on the progress of the investigation. An industry official said, "Hansol Paper is considered a company with excellent worker safety training and compliance within the paper industry. For smaller companies, no matter how thorough their safety management, there will inevitably be concerns about accidents that can occur unexpectedly."
It is also noteworthy that this intensive investigation came just one day after President Lee strongly criticized the recurrence of industrial accidents. In a Cabinet meeting, President Lee had previously announced plans for tough sanctions against companies with repeated industrial accidents, including punitive damages and stricter loan regulations.
The paper industry is classified as high-risk for industrial accidents such as entrapment and falls due to the prevalence of large-scale equipment. According to statistics from the Ministry of Employment and Labor last year, the accident rate and fatality rate per 10,000 people in the "wood and paper products manufacturing" sector were 1.32% and 1.53%, respectively, which are higher than the overall manufacturing average of 0.6% and 0.46%.
In addition to the Jeil Industries and Hansol Paper accidents, there have been a series of major accidents at paper mills this year. In May, two workers died from suffocation while working in a manhole at a paper mill in Jeonju, and in the same month, three workers at the Jeonju Paper plant suffered severe burns and were taken to the hospital after being exposed to hot ash while drying paper sludge.
Lee Byunghoon, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Chung-Ang University, commented, "The fact that even large companies in the paper industry cannot avoid major industrial accidents typical of developing countries suggests that the situation may be even worse at other companies. It is necessary to raise safety awareness not only among safety managers but also among on-site workers and to strengthen safety education. Above all, a corporate culture that actively invests in worker safety must be fostered."
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