The Ministry of Employment and Labor said on Oct. 20 that it has launched an investigation and labor inspection into possible violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act at SK Energy business sites where an explosion killed one person and injured five.
At about 10:42 a.m. on Oct. 17, an explosion occurred at the SK Energy Ulsan plant in Namgu, Ulsan. A total of six people suffered burns and other injuries in the accident. A worker in his 50s from a partner company, identified as A, who was taken to a hospital for treatment, died on Oct. 18.
Considering the seriousness of the case, the ministry ordered a suspension of maintenance work and plans to investigate with a 15-member dedicated investigative team. In addition, to identify the structural causes of the accident, it deployed a 27-member inspection team, including labor inspectors and experts from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, and began a high-intensity labor inspection equivalent to a special inspection for two weeks from today, with an extension if necessary.
The labor inspection will cover not only the process where the accident occurred but the entire SK Energy Ulsan plant. The ministry plans to review the overall safety management status, including the safety and health management organization, work permit approval procedures, safety management of partner companies, and risk assessments, as well as the causes of this accident.
Minister Kim Young-hoon said, "The occurrence of such an accident at a refinery, where thorough safety management is required to prevent fires and explosions, is very grave," adding, "We will thoroughly determine the cause of the accident, hold those responsible to account, and demand measures to prevent a recurrence by fundamentally improving the cause of the accident."