Hanwha Aerospace was subject to 179 cases of criminal referral for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 2018 and 2019, data showed. Despite an industrial accident that killed five workers in 2018, the company managed to reduce its criminal violations by only half the following year, drawing criticism that its efforts to improve safety management were inadequate.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday, Hanwha Aerospace underwent a special inspection by the ministry in May 2018 following an industrial accident that killed five workers. The inspection identified 486 violations of occupational safety and health laws, of which 126 cases resulted in criminal referrals. Criminal referrals are made when violations are directly tied to the safety management system, rather than for simple legal infractions.
However, Hanwha Aerospace was subject to another special inspection in February 2019, less than a year later, after an industrial accident that killed three workers. The total number of violations dropped sharply to 82 (including three at subcontractors) compared with the previous inspection, but criminal referrals fell only by half to 53 cases.
Concerns are mounting over the fact that Hanwha Aerospace caused multiple casualties from an explosion in less than a year and that the same legal violations recurred despite repeated government inspections. The results of both inspections commonly pointed to deficiencies in the safety and health management system, safety and health education, chemical substance management, health management, on-site safety measures, confined space management, and process safety reports.
Hanwha Aerospace suffered another explosion the previous day, in which five workers passed away.
