Major Accidents Continue Despite Serious Accident Punishment Act... Ministry of Employment Overloaded

Sampyo Industry, Yojin Construction, Yeocheon NCC Under Investigation
Workload Increases Due to Consecutive Major Accidents in Early Implementation
35 Labor Inspectors Dispatched for Search and Seizure on the Day
Concerns Over Future Investigation Disruptions... Need for Workforce Expansion

On the 11th, police were controlling the explosion site at Yeocheon NCC Plant 3 within the Yeosu National Industrial Complex in Hwachi-dong, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do. The explosion occurred around 9:26 a.m. during a heat exchanger tightness test, resulting in 4 deaths and 4 injuries among the 8 workers present at the scene. [Image source=Yonhap News]

About two weeks after the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, a series of major accidents have occurred across the country, triggering alarm at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the main government agency in charge. With limited investigative personnel and serious accident cases occurring faster than expected, the ministry's workload has become excessively burdensome. Since this overload could lead to hasty investigations or increased uncertainty for companies, there are calls for expanding specialized personnel.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 14th, the Gwangju Labor Office conducted a search and seizure at the Yeocheon NCC site office on the morning of the same day in connection with the explosion that occurred on the 11th in the Yeosu National Industrial Complex in Jeollanam-do, which resulted in the deaths of four workers. The ministry dispatched 35 labor inspectors responsible for investigating serious industrial accidents to secure evidence to prove violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Cases subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act attract significant public attention, and early investigations are crucial, so up to ten times more personnel are deployed compared to investigations of general violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act. On the 11th, the ministry sent 45 labor inspectors to conduct a search and seizure at the headquarters of Sampyo Industry, the first investigation target under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. A ministry official stated, "It seems that the number of personnel deployed for search and seizure, data analysis, and interviews with related parties has increased about tenfold compared to before."

The problem is that in about two weeks since the law's enforcement, nine workers have died at workplaces subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, including Sampyo Industry, Yojin Construction Industry, and Yeocheon NCC, rapidly increasing the number of investigation targets. Considering that 828 people died from industrial accidents last year, it is highly likely that workplaces subject to the fourth and fifth cases under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act will occur consecutively.

According to the ministry, there are currently 110 labor inspectors responsible for investigations related to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. These inspectors oversee search and seizure, digital analysis, and interviews related to serious accident cases, but voices inside the ministry are already raising concerns about workload overload. The situation is even more severe with only seven specialized personnel for scientific investigation techniques such as digital forensics. Although the ministry previously announced plans to introduce scientific investigation techniques like digital forensics in line with the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, it is currently coping with makeshift measures such as receiving personnel support from other departments. As a result, there are considerable concerns in the industry that rather than proper investigations, corporate information unrelated to serious accident allegations could be leaked to other agencies.

Including investigative labor inspectors, there are 814 industrial safety inspectors (authorized personnel), and although this number has more than doubled in the past two to three years, the scope of their duties is broad and some are still in training. Voices inside and outside the ministry continue to say that there is a severe shortage of personnel to be deployed on-site. This increased workload could lead to investigation delays and inadequate supervision, which could also burden companies. A lawyer specializing in serious accidents said, "To avoid accusations of reckless prosecution, swift search and seizure and meticulous legal review are necessary, so the ministry is under significant pressure."

Since labor inspectors require particularly high expertise, there are calls for proactive expansion of personnel. If the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is later applied to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, the number of personnel to respond will inevitably have to increase significantly. A ministry official said, "Although many major accidents have recently occurred, since it is still early in the year, we plan to monitor the trend until the first half of the year and review the necessary personnel."

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