Fatal Accidents Targeting 'That Time'... Ministry of Employment and Labor and Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Launch Special Inspection of Ulsan Chemical Plants

Focused Measures on Risk Factors for Fatal Accidents During 'Maintenance and Repair' Work Such as Fire, Explosion, Falls, and Crushing

A safety inspection is being conducted at a chemical plant in Ulsan.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] #1. On April 20, 2022, at 1:30 PM, a fire broke out during a seal replacement operation after internal cleaning for a storage tank opening inspection at a chemical plant in Ulsan, resulting in the deaths of two workers.

#2. On May 19 at around 8:51 PM, a fire and explosion occurred due to a C4 leak while workers were maintaining the compressor discharge valve at a chemical plant in Ulsan, causing one death, six serious injuries, and three minor injuries.

These accidents share the commonality of occurring at chemical plants during maintenance or repair work, not during equipment operation.

In the Ulsan area, which has a large chemical complex with densely packed factories, there were three fatal accidents in 2020, three in 2021, and already three deaths this year.

To prevent such industrial accidents that occur during maintenance or repair work when operations are temporarily halted, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) have rolled up their sleeves.

The Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (Branch Chief Kim Jun-hwi) and the Ulsan Regional Headquarters of KOSHA (Head Jeon Sang-heon) will begin a two-month intensive inspection from September targeting chemical plants in Ulsan to prevent major disasters such as fires and explosions.

This inspection will focus on compliance with safety rules to prevent fires, explosions, and chemical exposure accidents, which are highly likely during maintenance and repair work at chemical plants. It will also concentrate on verifying matters related to non-routine work procedures, which have been analyzed as major causes of fatal accidents this year.

The chemical industry is a hazardous sector where fires, explosions, leaks caused by handling dangerous substances, as well as traditional fatal accidents such as falls and entrapments, can occur at any time. Most fatal accidents have been found to occur during the operation, maintenance, or repair of chemical equipment and machinery.

Jeon Sang-heon, head of KOSHA’s Ulsan headquarters, pointed out, “In the Ulsan area, where a large-scale, aging chemical complex is concentrated, industrial fatal accidents during maintenance and repair work at chemical plants have frequently occurred over the past three years.”

He also noted that as of the end of July, the number of fatal accidents (subject to accident investigation) in the Ulsan area this year was 14, about 17% higher than the 12 cases last year.

Accordingly, the Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and KOSHA’s Ulsan Regional Headquarters plan to focus inspections and management on workplaces with a high possibility of major disasters, such as chemical plants and construction sites, until the end of the year.

Kim Jun-hwi, head of the Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, said, “The chemical industry is a large-scale process industry that uses hazardous machinery and chemicals, and frequent maintenance and repair of equipment and machinery pose a very high risk of major accidents.”

Branch Chief Kim expressed hope that “especially during non-routine work such as maintenance, repair, and inspection of equipment and machinery, risk information must be shared between contractors and subcontractors, and communication during work is important. We ask that management take the lead in ensuring that the company’s safety and health management system functions properly on site through continuous attention and effort.”

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