Revising the Risk Prevention Plan System That Failed to Prevent the Icheon Logistics Warehouse Disaster

Ministry of Employment Central Accident Response Headquarters to Strengthen Review Criteria and More

Firefighters are busy searching for survivors and organizing the site at a fire scene in a logistics warehouse construction site in Moga-myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to completely reform the hazardous risk prevention plan review and confirmation system in relation to the logistics warehouse fire disaster in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.

On the 1st, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it made this decision at a Central Accident Response Headquarters meeting chaired by Minister Lee Jae-gap.

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, was confirmed to have reviewed and confirmed the hazardous risk prevention plan submitted by the construction company of the Icheon logistics warehouse before the disaster occurred, and pointed out several safety issues multiple times.

This is why there are criticisms that if the hazardous risk prevention plan review and confirmation system had functioned properly, the disaster could have been prevented.

The plan is a disaster prevention document prepared when construction companies install or relocate hazardous equipment such as chemical tanks or make structural changes. It is submitted to KOSHA for review and confirmation.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to strengthen the effectiveness of the plan by changing the scope of items to be prepared to focus on risk factors and by reinforcing KOSHA's review standards. On-site close management will also be strengthened.

In addition, in collaboration with local governments, the ministry will conduct urgent inspections of all logistics warehouses currently under construction nationwide to supervise risk factors such as fire hazards. If violations of regulations are detected, administrative and judicial measures will be taken.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to closely cooperate with local governments to understand the difficulties of the bereaved families and promptly share the results of victim identification.

Once the cause of the accident is identified, it will be shared with the bereaved families, and fundamental safety measures will be established to prevent similar accidents from recurring.

Minister Lee urged thorough accident response and support as well as the preparation of fundamental measures to prevent recurrence. He said, "I express my deep condolences and regrets to the victims and families of the Icheon fire accident."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.