[Herald Business = Reporter Kim Young-hoon] The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the police have launched a full-scale investigation into a worker’s death at SPC Samlip. Authorities are looking into possible violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
The Seongnam branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Siheung Police Station announced that they have been executing a search and seizure operation since 9 a.m. on the 17th at the headquarters of SPC Samlip in Seoul and their office in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. This move is part of an investigation into a worker entrapment accident that occurred at SPC Samlip’s bread production factory on May 19.
A total of about 80 personnel, including labor inspectors specializing in serious industrial accident investigations from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, and police personnel, have been deployed for the search. The authorities are gathering evidence to determine any violations of laws such as the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and charges of accidental homicide due to negligence.
In particular, the Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to focus on whether proper safety measures were implemented during mechanical maintenance work, such as the application of lubricants. This is a key issue in determining whether the accident resulted not just from worker negligence but from a broader failure in the company’s overall safety management system.
A ministry official stated, “We will thoroughly examine whether the company’s safety and health management system for accident prevention is properly established based on the evidence obtained through this search and seizure,” adding, “If any legal violations are confirmed, we will take strict action.”
Previously, there has been increasing social controversy due to repeated industrial accidents at SPC affiliates in recent years.