With the Expansion of Contactless Consumption, 'Woohoo Juksun' Frozen and Logistics Warehouses Proliferate, Safety Negligence Remains

On April 29 last year, following a large-scale fire that caused significant casualties, ambulances lined up in front of warehouse A in Moga-myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, waiting to transport the injured. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] As non-face-to-face consumption expands due to COVID-19, the number of frozen and logistics warehouses is rapidly increasing. It has been one year since the fire at Han Express logistics center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, last April. Although laws and systems have been improved, safety negligence still persists at the site.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 4th, the number of hazardous risk prevention plans submitted by construction companies for frozen and logistics warehouse construction last year was 108, a 45.9% increase from the previous year (74 sites). The hazardous risk prevention plan is a disaster prevention plan submitted to the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency under the Ministry of Employment and Labor when construction companies perform work related to hazardous facilities. This means that frozen and logistics warehouse construction has significantly increased due to the rise in non-face-to-face consumption caused by COVID-19. Online shopping companies use frozen and logistics warehouses to store various products, including fresh and frozen foods ordered by customers.

However, frozen and logistics warehouse construction carries other risks. If ventilation is not properly performed during urethane foam spraying for insulation, a large fire can occur. A major fire at a logistics warehouse construction site in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on April 29 last year is a representative example. This accident resulted in 38 workers dead and 10 injured.

The prosecution and police defined the Icheon disaster as a "man-made disaster" caused by comprehensive safety management failure. The police and fire authorities stated that serious negligence, including failure to follow basic rules, led to the fire, and the fact that emergency exits were locked caused significant casualties.

The government pledged to eliminate bad practices and improve laws and systems after the disaster. In fact, to prevent safety accidents at construction sites, simultaneous work on fire-risk processes has been prohibited, and the role of construction supervisors has been greatly strengthened, including prior review of work plans and increased inspection frequency by resident supervisors.

However, safety negligence at the site still persists. According to an investigation by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency in February of eight new frozen and logistics warehouse sites in Icheon and Yongin, current laws are still not properly followed. Dangerous simultaneous work practices, such as welding while vapor remains after urethane foam work, continue. Six sites had portable fire extinguishing devices that were unusable. The Gyeonggi Province Civil Affairs Special Judicial Police Unit in January inspected 80 large construction sites over 15,000㎡ and found 30 sites handling large amounts of fire hazardous materials without permission from the local fire station.

Experts point out that institutional improvements are needed, such as assigning workers who have completed fire safety training to the work sites.

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