Investigation Launched for First Violation of Serious Accident Punishment Act in Occupational Disease After 16 Acute Poisoning Cases in Changwon

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk is speaking at the National Agency Heads Meeting on Labor Issues held at the Seoul Employment and Labor Office in October last year. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched an investigation to determine whether there has been a violation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for workplaces where occupational diseases have occurred for the first time.

It has been revealed that the Ministry of Employment and Labor has initiated an investigation applying charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act regarding an incident in a manufacturing company in Changwon, Gyeongnam, where 16 workers suffered acute poisoning.

According to the Busan Regional Employment and Labor Office and the Changwon Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 18th, the Busan Labor Office and Changwon Branch conducted a search and seizure at Duseong Industry, an air conditioner parts manufacturer in Changwon, around 9 a.m. that day.

The Busan Labor Office confirmed on the 10th that multiple cases of occupational diseases due to acute poisoning from toxic substances had occurred at this company and began an investigation. Administrative measures such as work environment measurement and health examination orders were also issued.

Previously, one worker at this company showed symptoms suspected to be an occupational disease during diagnosis at a hospital in Changwon, and this was reported to the local authority, the Changwon Branch.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor ordered temporary health examinations for about 70 workers at the workplace, and on the 16th, 16 workers were finally diagnosed with occupational diseases.

This case is the first instance where the Serious Accidents Punishment Act has been applied to occupational diseases.

An official from the Labor Office said, “We have started an investigation into violations of the law and are conducting search and seizure to secure evidence. We will promptly investigate serious industrial accidents and strictly hold those responsible accountable.”

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which has been fully enforced since January 27 of this year, stipulates that when a serious accident such as a worker’s death occurs, if the business owner or management responsible is found to have violated the obligation to establish a safety and health management system, they can be punished.

The law defines serious accidents as cases where there is at least one death, two or more injured persons requiring treatment for six months or longer due to the same accident, or three or more cases of occupational diseases such as acute poisoning caused by the same harmful factor within one year.

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