Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Detect 77 Sites Violating Hazardous Chemical Substance Management

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has uncovered a large number of companies violating the Chemical Substances Control Act by using hazardous chemicals without permission or failing to properly manage locks on hazardous chemical storage facilities.

The Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police announced on the 21st that they conducted inspections on 360 licensed hazardous chemical handling companies in the province from the 28th of last month to the 8th of this month and found 77 companies violating the Chemical Substances Control Act.

Among the major cases detected, Company A located in Siheung City was caught for using approximately 2.4 tons annually of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, etc., during metal surface treatment work without permission from the competent authority for 4 years and 4 months from December 2017 to April 5, 2022. Chemicals with strong toxicity such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid are designated as accident preparedness substances that can cause chemical accidents.

Company B in Ansan City was operating a facility storing about 50㎥ of nitric acid and other substances but was caught for neglecting to install and properly maintain locks on the storage facility, leaving the locks corroded and non-functional.

Company C in Paju City, which handles the corrosive hazardous chemical Acrylic Acid, failed to manage the emergency shower facilities within the workplace. When handling corrosive hazardous chemicals, emergency shower facilities must be installed close to the handling area and maintained in proper working order at all times.

Company D in Siheung City was found storing about 360kg of nitric acid, 180kg of hydrochloric acid, and 36kg of sulfuric acid in a hazardous chemical storage facility but only labeled nitric acid, failing to label hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid as required.

Under the current Chemical Substances Control Act, handling hazardous chemicals without permission or failure to operate locks properly can result in imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to 100 million won. Failure to operate emergency shower facilities or properly label hazardous chemicals can result in imprisonment for up to 3 years or a fine of up to 50 million won.

The special judicial police plan to refer all violating companies to the prosecution and notify the relevant administrative authorities.

Kim Min-kyung, head of the Provincial Civil Special Judicial Police, stated, "Since hazardous chemicals cause significant harm to the human body, thorough safety management is crucial," and added, "We plan to expand investigations in the future to protect the health and safety of residents."

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