Police and labor authorities investigating an accident in which a worker in their 50s fell into a critical condition after being caught in machinery at an Ourhome plant in Yongin have launched a compulsory investigation.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency's Metropolitan Investigation Unit and the Gyeonggi Regional Employment and Labor Office's Metropolitan Industrial Accident Prevention Supervision Division are conducting a search and seizure operation at Ourhome's Yongin Plant 2 in Namsa-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, starting at 9 a.m. today (June 23).
This marks the first compulsory investigation conducted 15 days after the accident occurred.
The two agencies have deployed 22 investigators to two locations, including the on-site office, to secure documents and electronic data, such as work plans, safety management records, and materials regarding recurrence prevention measures following previous accidents.
Based on the seized materials, authorities plan to determine the exact circumstances of the accident, identify where responsibility lies, and hold those responsible criminally liable.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor stated, "The search and seizure targets both the primary contractor and the subcontractor located within Ourhome's Yongin Plant 2," adding, "We will closely examine whether sufficient safety measures, such as protective devices for conveyor equipment, were in place to prevent entrapment accidents."
Previously, at approximately 2:50 p.m. on June 8, an accident occurred in the fish cake packaging room on the 4th floor of Ourhome's Yongin Plant 2, where the neck of a worker identified as A, employed by the subcontractor Company J, was caught in the rotating shaft of a conveyor belt.
Worker A has yet to regain consciousness.
Police discovered that a safety cover, which should be installed over the top of the conveyor belt to prevent entrapment accidents, was missing at the scene. Consequently, they have booked one safety manager each from Ourhome and Company J for criminal investigation.
The Labor Ministry has launched an integrated planned inspection of Ourhome regarding industrial safety and labor affairs and is investigating potential violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
At this same plant, a female foreign worker in her 30s suffered severe injuries to her hands and arms after getting them caught in machinery in March of last year, and a Korean worker in his 30s died in April of the same year after his neck was caught in a machine.
(Photo: Provided by Ourhome, Yonhap News)