Editor's NoteWill eliminating night overtime work and reducing work intensity, as President Lee Jaemyung has sternly ordered, solve everything? The core issue behind the recurring fatal entrapment accidents at SPC Group factories is that workers operating unmanaged machines could not stop the equipment even when they sensed danger. Asia Economy has reconstructed the circumstances of three fatal accidents, the machines involved, and the critical moments when these incidents could have been prevented.
Inside the Diary of an SPC Factory Worker
Stopping the machines means failing to meet production targets-an ever-present pressure Even veteran workers do not dare to stop the machines Even if the two-shift system is abolished immediately, The risk of repeated accidents remains
The vertical and oppressive working environment at the SPC bread factory,
In the bread factory, the pressure was so intense that
stopping the machines meant failing to achieve production goals,
that no worker dared to halt the machines.
The constant pressure on workers to meet production quotas
remains a risk factor for repeated accidents,
even if the 12-hour two-shift system were to be abolished immediately.
Based on the diary kept by labor attorney Gong Uijeong,
who worked at the Sani Daegu factory from September to November last year before resigning,
testimony from her colleague Ms. Kim (36, female),
and stories from current workers still on site,
we have reconstructed the atmosphere on the ground.
What Happens in the Factory...A Worker's Diary
September 19, 2024
I started my first workday after the Chuseok holiday. I arrived at work at 9 a.m., received my uniform, and attended safety and health training. During the safety training, it was mentioned that the industrial accident rate is significantly higher in the production factory. The trainer explained that this is because of the large number of workers. The health training was replaced by a video due to the absence of a trainer. Later, I heard that the health trainer could not attend the training because they were handling an accident that occurred in the factory. After lunch, I was immediately assigned to work. Without knowing what the task was, I entered the workshop. I worked on attaching dough from the machine onto metal plates. Without any prior explanation, I followed the unfriendly instructions and irritable scolding from my supervisor in a daze.
September 30, 2024
Identity is distinguished by hat color. New employees with less than six months of service wear yellow hats, regular employees wear white, team leaders wear green, line managers wear blue, and the quality team wears purple. Regular employees do not interfere with each other's work, but they harshly reprimand those wearing yellow hats. It might be because the yellow hats' actions are all new and unfamiliar, causing frustration, but whenever problems arise in work or things go wrong, all the anger is often directed at the yellow hats. The contract workers wearing yellow hats have no choice but to endure this to become regular employees. It happened again today. Senior colleague A was inexperienced with a task she was doing for the first time, but the senior scolded her with hurtful words and told her to go elsewhere. If the first impression is that someone is good at their job, mistakes are tolerated, but if the first impression is clumsy, they are labeled as "incompetent" and severely reprimanded even for small mistakes.
October 2, 2024
Today is a day off. I was told to get a health checkup to join the night shift. I didn’t want to do the night shift, but unless there are special circumstances like pregnancy, everyone is assigned. The checkup was completed swiftly in no time. The consultation with the doctor for the night shift ended in less than two minutes.
October 10, 2024
I ended up packaging butter rolls with my senior. The senior told me to rest comfortably until lunch while inspecting the bread. After sending off the last bread and going to the senior’s side, there were still unpacked breads and items to be repackaged piled up. The senior, who told me to rest comfortably, cursed, "How could you not come even once knowing it would turn out like this, you XX." I, wearing a yellow hat, have to endure it. I have to comply.
October 13, 2024
It’s a night shift. I went to the orthopedic ward to help with cleaning. At night, even without doing hard work, my body hurts by default. Even before, after midnight, blood wouldn’t circulate in my ankles and my whole body ached, but now my body feels heavy and my mind isn’t clear.
October 26, 2024
During the morning assembly, Team Leader openly announced that Sister A was absent due to illness and mentioned that there would be a shortage of staff today, making the work difficult. Because of this, the employees concluded that all the difficulties today were due to 'Sister A's absence.' Is it really the fault of one person who couldn't come because of illness? Especially to a newcomer. (Later, I heard from Sister A that when she came to work the next day, the Team Leader called her and said that her absence made things hard for others.)
October 28, 2024
It was a tough day. Today's packaging team work went roughly like this. First, I pack bread at the very front of the conveyor belt. If I can't pack all the bread, the remaining bread goes down the conveyor belt, and two people behind me pack those. If I don't work quickly, the other two have more work, and the unpacked bread piles up. Working frantically under pressure makes my whole body tense and sore. Especially my toes tense up automatically. According to a senior, when the yellow hat was removed, the toes had turned black. My left hand is stained yellow from touching the packaging repeatedly, and the smell of ink is overwhelming. My skin is scraped raw from the soboro bread. There is a reason why even those who have worked for 1 year, 3 years, or 10 years say they never fully got used to the work.
November 8, 2024
There was an accident in the molding team yesterday. Someone hurt their hand on the machine while packaging. Some say they had a few stitches, but the exact extent of the injury is unknown (there is talk that the accident happened because everyone was nervous with the CEO present for a new product launch). Even accidents on the adjacent line are kept quiet. Because of that, I had to go support the other line. I was also supposed to be on support duty, but the senior on the line excluded me. When I asked why, they said it was to protect me from getting hurt. I am very grateful, but I was saddened by the fact that the senior aunts are always aware that accidents can happen anytime.
Ms. Kim, who joined the factory at the same time as labor attorney Gong,
also testified that she constantly experienced the situations described in the diary.
Ms. Kim made hamburger buns for SPC franchise stores in the molding section.
When trays holding six or twelve hamburger doughs came out,
she had to check for defects or foreign substances.
The tray would stay in front of her hands for about five seconds.
Within that time, she had to quickly inspect six or twelve pieces of dough.
With the trays moving rapidly,
she said that after a while, her vision would blur,
and it felt almost like trypophobia.
Empty Trays Often Get Stuck in the Machine...But No Time to Call Maintenance
She also faced dangerous moments during work.
Empty trays that had gone through the oven and returned for more dough
would often get stuck in the machine.
When a tray suddenly stopped moving with a 'clunk' and
the sound of repeated impacts was heard,
it meant there was a problem.
The following is a video filmed by Ms. Kim.
Normally, you should call the maintenance team
and ask them to remove the problematic tray.
However, colleagues said that since there aren't many maintenance staff,
once you call, you never know when they will arrive.
Veteran workers say this is not enough to call maintenance,
and teach you to just put on work gloves
and remove the hot tray from the oven yourself.
Even though the floor and machines are slippery from the oil used to prevent bread from sticking to the trays,
they said you have to crouch and move between the machines.
If a veteran worker tells you exactly where to pull out the tray,
they are considered kind.
Most of the time, you are expected to 'figure it out yourself.'
If you can't do the job, someone is always watching,
and you will inevitably be scolded from behind.
Even When Changing Packaging Film Under Falling Blades...Machines Were Not Stopped
Veteran workers are not afraid to work while the machines are running.
Ms. Kim was reassigned to the packaging team
and was in charge of cutting packaging bags.
The bags are made by a blade dropping like a guillotine from above
to cut the plastic film.
Because the type of packaging bag changes depending on the bread,
when one product is finished, the packaging film must be changed to another.
Even with the machine blades still dropping,
they would reach in and change the packaging film.
They said you just need to time your hand to go in and out between the falling blades.
When Ms. Kim hesitated out of fear when it was her turn to change the film,
the senior immediately said, "You're too slow, get out. I'll do it," and reached into the machine.
After work, labor attorney Gong, Ms. Kim, and other colleagues who joined together
would often share photos of their bruised arms and legs in a group chat.
They said that when you are working frantically and running around,
The SPC headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul (left photo) and SPC bread products displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency
Veterans Who Have Become Machines Themselves
"While working, you constantly hear people telling you to go faster.
You hear it from your colleagues, too. If I hesitate or can’t do the job,
there’s this sense that others will suffer because of me."
This is how labor attorney Gong described it.
SPC produces millions of pieces of bread every day.
At the "largest SPC factory in Korea" in Pyeongtaek, as promoted by SPC,
4.61 million pieces of bread are produced daily.
While each factory differs,
it is possible to calculate that several thousand pieces of bread come off a single line every ten minutes.
The processes of making dough, pouring, transferring, molding, baking, cooling,
and packaging are all interconnected.
If one part stops, it disrupts the rest of the process.
Any problematic product is considered defective and must be discarded.
On days when the daily production target increases by tens of thousands,
it creates a state of emergency.
Managers check to ensure that production rates do not fall behind other lines,
and if the work speed drops, they instruct workers to pick up the pace.
'It's dangerous, so I'll stop the machine'-such reasoning does not work here.
Not only labor attorney Gong, but also other former and current employees agree
"Even team leaders with years of experience find it hard to stop the line."
Only supervisors or above can stop the machines after seeing the issue themselves,
while those below them do not dare to press the stop button.
After working for a long time, you end up adapting yourself to the 'production first' principle.
Before you know it, you find yourself working to the 'faster, faster' rhythm,
and if you can't keep up, you are seen as someone who lacks skill and is falling behind.
A press conference held in front of the SPC headquarters in Seocho-gu, Seoul, last May to commemorate workers who died from industrial accidents and to condemn SPC by the three major religions. Photo by Yonhap News.
