'16 People Acutely Poisoned' Duseong Industrial CEO Booked for Serious Accident Punishment Act Violation

Duseong Industrial Main Gate
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has booked the CEO of a manufacturing company in Changwon, Gyeongnam, on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and conducted a search and seizure of manufacturing facilities in connection with an incident where 16 workers suffered acute poisoning from chemical substances.

On the 21st, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had booked the CEO of Duseong Industry, an electronics manufacturer located in Changwon, on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act on the 20th. From 10 a.m. that day, the ministry has been conducting search and seizure operations at two locations, including the hazardous substance manufacturer and distributor.

The ministry explained, "through this search and seizure, we plan to verify whether the manufacturer and distributor properly provided information about hazardous substances to the users during the manufacturing and distribution process of the cleaning agent."

Duseong Industry is under investigation after a cluster of acute poisoning cases caused by toxic substances occurred. The first suspected patient was identified on the 10th, prompting the ministry to conduct an on-site investigation. Following a temporary health examination order for all workers involved in the cleaning process, a total of 16 workers were confirmed to have suffered acute poisoning from 'trichloromethane,' which was used for cleaning air conditioner parts.

Trichloromethane is a colorless volatile liquid primarily absorbed through the respiratory tract, and high-level exposure can cause liver damage. On the 16th, the ministry ordered the suspension of the cleaning process within the factory and booked the CEO and the corporation of Duseong Industry on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act. On the 18th, a search and seizure was conducted at Duseong Industry.

The ministry plans to focus on investigating the circumstances under which workers were exposed to trichloromethane beyond the permissible limits. Duseong Industry reportedly explained that the cleaning solution supplier deceived the company by supplying the toxic substance trichloromethane under the name of dichloroethylene.

If three or more cases of occupational diseases such as acute poisoning occur within a year at workplaces with 50 or more employees, the Serious Accidents Punishment Act can be applied. Duseong Industry has approximately 220 regular employees. If it is confirmed that management failed to fulfill safety obligations, they may be punished for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

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