20s Woman Caught in Sauce Mixer at Major Corporation Bakery Factory Suffers Fatal Accident

The 'De Facto Head of Household' Supporting Mother and Younger Brother
Ministry of Labor Investigates Violations of Serious Accidents Punishment Act and Occupational Safety and Health Act

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A female worker died after getting trapped in a sauce mixer machine at a large corporation's bakery factory.

At around 6:20 a.m. on the 15th, a female worker identified as A (23) was found trapped in a sauce mixer machine at the SPL bakery factory, an SPC affiliate, located in Chupal Industrial Complex, Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi Province. At the time, about 10 workers were operating on the production line, and another employee was present at the mixer where the accident occurred. However, the accident happened while that employee had stepped away. Suddenly, screams were heard from the area where the mixer was located, and a worker who went to check found A’s upper body stuck in the mixer. A was reported to have died at the scene.

The police have requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of death and are investigating the detailed circumstances of the accident by interviewing factory employees.

A is known to have been the primary breadwinner supporting her mother and younger brother, who is a high school student, adding to the tragedy. According to a report by Kyongin Ilbo, A had been working at the factory for about two years. After her parents divorced in July, A’s salary was the main source of income for the family. The family had lived for the past 20 years in a small rooftop room above a commercial building in Cheonan-si, Chungnam Province. The father had been unemployed for a long time, and the mother worked at a printing shop in the same building. A worked shifts alternating weekly between day and night shifts, and the accident occurred near the end of a night shift.

Meanwhile, another accident occurred at the same factory just eight days earlier, on the 7th. At that time, employee B suffered an injury when half of their hand was caught in a belt on the production line machine for about 20 minutes. The SPL business site, an SPC affiliate, is subject to the Serious Accident Punishment Act, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting an investigation.

The Serious Accident Punishment Act, which came into effect on January 27, applies to workplaces with 50 or more regular employees (or construction projects worth 5 billion KRW or more). If an industrial accident such as a worker’s death occurs, employers or management officials who fail to fulfill their accident prevention duties can face imprisonment of one year or more, or fines up to 1 billion KRW. The Ministry of Labor has ordered a work stoppage at the site and has begun investigating whether the business violated the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

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