The Ministry of Employment and Labor imposed fines totaling 730 million won on the Taean Power Generation Headquarters under Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and contractors such as KEPCO KPS for violating laws in the fields of industrial safety and labor standards. For a total of 379 violations, those involved were booked and a formal investigation was launched.
On the 23rd, the ministry announced the results of its labor inspection of the Taean Thermal Power Plant with these details. Triggered by the death of nonregular worker the late Kim Chung-hyun at the Taean Thermal Power Plant on June 2, the ministry launched a special inspection of KOWEPO, the principal contractor, and first- and second-tier subcontractors, taking a comprehensive look at three areas: industrial safety and health, delayed wage payments and labor contracts, and illegal dispatch of subcontracted workers.
The inspection found numerous instances of illegal dispatch at KEPCO KPS and two partner companies. Kim was a nonregular worker employed by a company to which KEPCO KPS, a first-tier subcontractor at the Taean Thermal Power Plant, had re-subcontracted work. The ministry determined that not only the lathe work Kim performed but all maintenance processes, including electrical and mechanical, constituted illegal dispatch. Accordingly, the ministry ordered KEPCO KPS to directly employ 41 illegally dispatched workers and booked the CEO of KEPCO KPS and the heads of related partner companies.
There were also cases of wages not being properly paid. Some companies were found to have underpaid overtime and severance due to errors in calculating unused annual leave allowances and ordinary and average wages. The ministry ordered KEPCO KPS and others to fully settle 541.04 million won that had not been properly paid.
In addition, the ministry took issue with cases including: ▲ failure to submit an industrial accident investigation report at the time of an industrial accident ▲ failure to provide training for supervisors, workers, and those engaged in hazardous work ▲ failure to install protective covers ▲ poor tightening of equipment bolts and nuts ▲ failure to implement anti-derailment measures for cranes ▲ failure to install safety railings ▲ failure to restrict access to places with fall hazards ▲ failure to install gas detectors in places handling flammable gases ▲ failure to conduct worker health checkups ▲ failure to comply with installation and management standards for rest facilities ▲ failure to grant spousal paternity leave.
The ministry imposed fines of 424.3 million won on Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and 108.3 million won on KEPCO KPS. It also booked those involved for a total of 379 violations, including 179 by Korea Western Power (KOWEPO) and 45 by KEPCO KPS. A ministry official said, "We plan to refer the case to the prosecution after additional investigation."
Furthermore, based on this inspection, the ministry called on the companies to improve by expanding the application of the "two-person team work principle" and by overhauling KOWEPO's safety and health management regulations. In reality, Kim was working alone without an assistant or monitor when he was caught in a machine and died. The ministry noted, "In a precedent related to the 2019 Taean Thermal Power Plant accident, the court held that 'work where a worker needs to insert part of the body into a machine, where entrapment risks are a real possibility, and where an emergency stop is not possible by one person' has characteristics that require two-person team execution," adding, "Taean Thermal Power Plant did not classify the relevant tasks as ones that could not be performed alone."
Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, "In the multilayered subcontracting structure of the power generation industry, safety management responsibilities are dispersed," adding, "The government will keep checking until these recommendations are thoroughly followed on-site, and will hold those accountable for actions that threaten workers' lives and health due to inadequate safety measures."