Criminal Penalties for Unauthorized Hazardous Materials Accidents... 'Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act' Effective from the 4th

Amendments to the Hazardous Materials Safety Management Act

From now on, if an accident occurs while handling hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantity at unauthorized hazardous material facilities, penalties will be imposed. Additionally, fines will be imposed if prevention regulations are not followed at large-scale hazardous material facilities.

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 7th that the "Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act" with these provisions came into effect on the 4th of this month.

The key point of this revised law is the strengthened penalty provisions for causing hazardous material accidents that harm people's lives, bodies, or property at places storing or handling hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantity without permission.

Previously, penalty provisions applied only to hazardous material accidents occurring at authorized locations.

According to Gyeonggi-do, there were a total of 124 hazardous material accidents from 2018 to 2022, of which 15 cases, or 16%, occurred at unauthorized facilities.

However, among the total 158 casualties caused by hazardous material accidents, 72 people, or 46%, were from unauthorized facilities, indicating that hazardous material accidents at unauthorized facilities have led to large-scale accidents involving casualties.

Cho Sun-ho, head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, "We will promote advisory group activities and various system improvements to prevent hazardous material accidents for the safety of residents."

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