Police Expand Investigation into 'Pyeongtaek Bakery Factory Death'... "Focus on Determining Cause"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] The police are expanding their investigation to determine the circumstances of the accident in which a female worker in her 20s died at a bakery factory affiliated with SPC in Pyeongtaek.

According to the Pyeongtaek Police Station in Gyeonggi on the 16th, at the time of the accident, Ms. A (23) was working on making sandwich sauce by putting ingredients into a mixer over 1 meter tall.

This machine, which has a pentagonal cylindrical shape, was not deep enough for Ms. A’s entire body to fit inside. However, Ms. A suffered an accident in which her upper body was caught in the internal mechanism of the mixer and died.

There was one other employee present at the scene besides Ms. A, but the accident occurred while that employee had stepped away. Since there was no CCTV covering the scene at the time of the accident, the police are investigating the circumstances of how Ms. A became caught in the machine based on the situation at the scene and statements from Ms. A’s coworkers and company officials. The police also plan to request an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine the cause of death.

A police official said, "Along with the circumstances of the accident, we are also examining whether the company violated safety regulations. If any violations are found, those responsible will be charged with professional negligence resulting in death and the investigation will continue."

The SPL workplace, affiliated with SPC, where the accident occurred, is subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has also ordered a work stoppage and is investigating whether the workplace violated the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

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