'Sampyo at the Crossroads of the First Serious Accident Punishment Act Case... Headquarters Also Under Investigation Following On-Site Search'

Nightlong Search for Missing Persons in Yangju Quarry Collapse and Burial Accident
(Yangju=Yonhap News) Fire authorities and police are searching for missing persons at the Sampo Industry quarry collapse and burial accident site in Dohari, Eunhyeon-myeon, Yangju-si, Gyeonggi Province, overnight from January 30 to 31. 2022.1.31 [Provided by Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters. Redistribution and DB prohibited]
kyoon@yna.co.kr
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[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The Ministry of Employment and Labor is accelerating its investigation, including conducting a search and seizure of Sampyo Industry, which has become the first investigation target under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. It is highly likely that Sampyo Industry will be the first entity punished under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which came into effect on the 27th of this month.

On the 31st, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had conducted a search and seizure at the Sampyo Industry Yangju Business Office and the offices of subcontractors in relation to the landslide accident in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, where two people died and one went missing. This came three days after the investigation began on suspicion of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act following the landslide accident. The ministry stated that it intends to thoroughly verify violations not only of the Industrial Safety and Health Act but also of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act through the search and seizure.

The Sampyo Industry headquarters is also under investigation. The ministry began questioning officials from Sampyo Industry headquarters the day before. Additionally, on the 29th, the site manager of the Sampyo Industry Yangju Business Office, where the landslide accident occurred, was booked on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act. It is considered unusual for the site manager to be booked on the day of the accident. This indicates that the ministry is conducting a swift investigation into this case, which is the first investigation target under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

There is also a possibility that the investigation will expand to Sampyo Industry’s management. The ministry has stated that it plans to verify whether the management’s obligations to ensure safety and health under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act have been properly fulfilled at the headquarters level. The Serious Accidents Punishment Act stipulates that if a serious accident occurs, such as one or more deaths at a workplace with 50 or more employees, the management is also subject to punishment. Considering that Sampyo Industry has about 930 employees and that two deaths have already occurred at the Yangju Business Office, there is a strong possibility that this will be interpreted as a serious accident. If a violation of safety obligations is confirmed, the business owner or management of Sampyo Industry could face imprisonment for more than one year or a fine of up to 1 billion KRW.

Will the CEO be the first punished under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act... Compliance with Safety is Key
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Im Heon-jeong = On the 30th, the second day after the collapse accident at the Yangju quarry, Sampo Seongsu Remicon Factory located in Seongdong-gu, Seoul.
On the 29th, just three days after the implementation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which has made the industrial sector very tense, a fatal accident occurred to which the law applies, drawing attention to whether this will lead to the punishment of the company's CEO.
According to the Ministry of Labor, at around 10:08 a.m. the previous day, three workers were buried in an accident at the Sampo Industrial Yangju Business Office in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. Of the three buried workers, two were found dead as of the previous day. 2022.1.30
kane@yna.co.kr
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Sampyo Industry has also been criticized as a frequent offender of serious accidents. This is because fatal accidents involving workers occurred consecutively last year at Sampyo Industry’s Pocheon Business Office and Seongsu Factory. On the day of the accident, the 29th of this month, Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk stated, “It is devastating that a major human casualty accident has occurred again at a company where two industrial accident deaths occurred last year.”

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has expressed its intention to thoroughly investigate headquarters officials since the Sampyo Industry Yangju Business Office is the first investigation target under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. A ministry official said, “Since this accident is the first serious industrial accident to be applied after the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, we plan to conduct a swift and strict investigation.”

Meanwhile, Sampyo Group formed an emergency countermeasure committee on the 30th, the day after the accident. The committee is composed of top executives of the group’s affiliates, including President Kim Ok-jin and Moon Jong-gu of Sampyo. The committee plans to establish a safety management system to handle the accident site and prevent recurrence. On the 30th of last month, Sampyo Group Chairman Jeong Do-won visited the Yangju Business Office accident site and apologized to the bereaved families and families of the missing.

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