Nakdonggangcheong Strengthens Inspections of Chemical Accident Risk Facilities

The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office conducted a pilot operation of a focused inspection system this year by prioritizing five large-scale business sites in the Ulsan area that have a history of chemical accidents causing casualties or violations of the Chemical Substances Control Act.

Approximately 13% of all chemical accidents in the past five years have occurred in Ulsan, ranking it second highest nationwide. This year, the number of chemical accidents has reached 19, the highest within the recent five-year period.

This inspection was promoted with the aim of preventing accidents through focused management of high-risk handling facilities, as the industrial complexes are aging and industries with large-scale production and consumption of chemical substances, such as petrochemical industries, are located there, raising concerns about large-scale chemical accidents compared to other regions.

On-site inspection of handling facilities.
[Image provided by Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office]

The focused inspection involved an average annual workforce of 24 people, including experts from the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office and private sector specialists in chemical and process safety fields. They conducted intensive inspections for up to five days per business site, focusing on the management status of legal compliance and the on-site operational conditions of handling facilities and equipment.

The Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office provided guidance to ensure that hazardous chemical substance businesses operate legally through legal and administrative support for the management of handling facilities.

Private experts from the Korea Environment Corporation, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and private research institutes offered technical advice for improvements, focusing on aging handling facilities and equipment with insufficient safety measures.

Director Choi Jong-won stated, “Chemical accidents are increasing this year compared to previous years, and Ulsan is also recording the highest number of chemical accidents ever. We will expand the focused inspection system, which was piloted this year, starting next year to strengthen on-site guidance activities that can enhance the practical safety management capabilities of business sites and boldly improve unreasonable regulations.”

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