Special Inspection at Hanwha Aerospace Following Explosion That Killed and Injured 7; Dozens of Safety Violations Found

Thick gray smoke rises over the Daejeon plant site of Hanwha Aerospace.

The facility where the explosion occurred was left with only blackened concrete walls and bent steel structures.

The accident, which occurred last June, left 5 workers dead and 2 others injured at the scene.

[Ryu Geun-sil / Head of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit, Daejeon Provincial Police Agency: (Last July) According to statements from related parties, there were statements that they were cleaning waste propellant sludge from the cleaner (at the time of the accident).]

As a result of a special inspection conducted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor for nearly three months following the incident, a total of 473 violations of safety and health rules and other regulations were uncovered.

Violations related to explosions and fires, which could lead to major accidents, reached 46 cases, while violations related to hazardous substances and leaks amounted to 45 cases.

Specifically, it was confirmed that equipment lacking explosion-proof certification was used in explosion-risk areas, safety valves that should be present on overpressure-risk facilities were missing, and leak-alarm systems required in toxic substance handling areas were not installed.

A massive number of basic safety management violations, including material safety data sheets, training, and process safety management reports, were also uncovered. The investigation revealed that while recent production volume and new hiring increased, safety and health management personnel were not recruited to match this growth.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to take judicial action on 189 of the 473 cases and impose a fine of 505.1 million won on the remaining 284 cases.

Explosion accidents have repeatedly occurred at the Daejeon plant, including an explosion in 2018 that killed 5 workers and another in 2019 that killed 3 workers.

Following this special inspection, the Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to continuously verify whether safety personnel and management systems have been reinforced.

(Reported by Baegun | Video by Won Hyung-hee | Produced by SBS Digital News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.