Following a June explosion that killed five people, the Daejeon facility of Hanwha Aerospace was found to have violated 473 provisions of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, according to a special inspection by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Of these violations, 91 were related to explosions, fires, and hazardous material leaks.
The Ministry announced on October 1 that the inspection, conducted from June 29 to September 18, revealed a total of 473 violations at the Daejeon facility and the Daejeon R&D campus.
This inspection was prompted by the explosion on June 1, which resulted in five fatalities and two injuries. Immediately after the incident, the Ministry established central and regional industrial accident response headquarters and halted operations at the site.
In response to the accident, the Ministry, along with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Fire Agency, initiated joint inspections of 42 military explosives manufacturing and storage facilities nationwide starting June 15. The Hanwha Aerospace incident has led to a broader review of fire and explosion safety management across the defense industry.
The Ministry focused on safety measures related to explosions, fires, and hazardous material leaks, as well as the management of harmful substances and compliance with Process Safety Management (PSM) regulations. Among the violations identified, 189 cases will be referred for immediate legal action, while fines totaling 500 million won will be imposed for 284 violations.
Of the legal action cases, 184 were for violations of safety and health regulations, with 46 related to explosions and fires and 45 concerning hazardous material leaks. Specific violations included the use of non-explosion-proof electrical and mechanical equipment in explosive areas, failure to install fire prevention nets on diesel tanks, and not marking the maximum allowable pressure on pressure vessels.
In the hazardous material leak category, violations included the absence of safety valves on equipment with potential overpressure and the lack of leak detection and alarm systems in facilities handling acute toxic substances. Additionally, 93 violations related to basic safety measures, such as fall protection and electrical safety, were identified, along with five violations concerning the protection of subcontracted workers.
Among the fines, 56 violations related to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) will incur 179 million won, 27 violations for failing to conduct safety and health training will incur 67.5 million won, and four violations for not performing special health examinations will incur 2.9 million won.
Furthermore, 102 cases of non-compliance with PSM were identified, including failures to adhere to alarm settings for gas leak detectors and interlock settings based on equipment temperature.
The Ministry also noted that while production and new hiring have increased, the safety and health management personnel have not been adequately scaled up to match this growth.
At the Daejeon facility, five people died in an explosion during propellant charging in 2018, and three more were killed in a similar explosion during propellant-related work in 2019. Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon stated, "The recurrence of similar fire and explosion incidents in 2018 and 2019 is a serious issue that cannot be taken lightly. We must thoroughly examine all potential risk factors and innovate our safety and health management systems."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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