Korea Zinc Chair Choi Yun-bum Faces Backlash Over Death of Fallen Worker, Attends Korea Economic Federation U.S. Dinner the Next Day
TECHWORLD ·
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Korea Zinc disclosed the occurrence of a serious industrial accident at its company on the 17th, the day after the accident.
The accident occurred on the 16th at Plant 2 of Korea Zinc's Onsan smelter in Ulsan's Ulju County, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor said a worker in his 40s, identified only as A and employed by a subcontractor, fell about 7.5 m and died.
The Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor issued a partial work suspension order and launched an investigation into possible violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
Korea Zinc disclosed the occurrence of a serious industrial accident at its company on the 17th, the day after the incident. The accident took place on the 16th at Plant 2 of Korea Zinc's Onsan smelter in Ulsan's Ulju County. The accident occurred at around 3:09 p.m. on the 16th.
According to Korea Zinc's explanation, the worker stepped on a nearby skylight while working on a roof panel, and the skylight shattered. The safety belt rope he was wearing at the time also broke, causing him to fall to the lower level. One on-site worker died in the accident.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 16th that an accident occurred during ventilation fan installation work at Plant 2 of the Onsan smelter. It said a worker in his 40s, identified only as A and employed by a subcontractor, fell about 7.5 m and died.
Korea Zinc said it would actively cooperate with the investigation by the relevant authorities. It also said it plans to establish measures to prevent a recurrence after determining the exact cause of the accident.
A serious industrial accident occurred at Korea Zinc's Onsan smelter, killing a subcontractor worker in a fall. A fell while working near a roof skylight, and the skylight's breakage was cited as the cause of the fall. There was also word that the safety belt rope A was wearing at the time snapped.
The Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor issued a partial work suspension order, rather than a full one, for all roof work in the condenser room of the smelter's No. 3 sintering line immediately after the accident. This means the measure applies to the entire roof work in question, but it is a partial suspension rather than a full halt.
The Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched a full-scale investigation into possible violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Labor authorities are examining the details of the accident as well as the possibility of violations of the two laws.
Meanwhile, despite Korea Zinc's swift response to the accident, controversy later arose over the actions of Korea Zinc Chair Choi Yun-bum. On the 17th, the day after the accident, Choi attended a thanksgiving dinner hosted by the Korea Economic Federation to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
It was reported that criticism is spreading over the fact that he was laughing and enjoying himself at a dinner right after the death of one of his company's workers. Along with calls for a business group head to focus on responding to the investigation by the relevant authorities and dealing with the aftermath of the accident in a serious accident situation, there were also criticisms that the group chief executive's attendance at social and external events showed disregard for the gravity of the situation.
The criticism that the chief executive prioritized external schedules over on-site safety management and responsibility comes against the backdrop of repeated loss-of-life accidents at the Onsan smelter. It is noted that serious accidents have continued to occur at the Onsan smelter, and that this is not the first case.
As examples of fatal accidents, in May 2021, 2 workers died of suffocation while cleaning containers. Then, in an accident at Korea Zinc's Onsan smelter Plant 2 in October 2024, 1 worker from its affiliate KG Green Tech died after falling 5 m while moving during work.
As such, loss-of-life accidents have repeatedly occurred at the Onsan smelter, and serious accidents have continued there. The repeated industrial accidents are cited as grounds for criticism over safety management on site.
Because of this accumulated record of industrial accidents, Korea Zinc was included in the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 2020 list of major subcontractor work sites with a high proportion of fatal accidents. The repeated industrial accidents and the continued occurrence of serious accidents thus also led to inclusion on the government-announced list.
Source: TECHWORLD · Lee Gwang-jae
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=407143
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Source: TECHWORLD
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