[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Kim Jisun] The Ministry of Employment and Labor said on the 7th that it plans to take stern measures against Hyundai Steel's Incheon plant, which caused seven accidents due to toxic gas poisoning while working.

According to the Ministry of Labor, two workers who were moving waste from a reservoir at Hyundai Steel's plant in Dong-gu, Incheon, fell unconscious and collapsed at 10:50 a.m. the previous day (6th), and workers who went in to rescue them were also involved in the accident.

One person was killed and two were unconscious in the accident, and four were discharged from the hospital after minor symptoms. The cause of death is currently under appraisal, but is presumed to be toxic gas poisoning.

One of the casualties belongs to Hyundai Steel, and the other six, including the deceased, belong to subcontractors.

The Ministry of Labor has ordered the suspension of work after checking the details of the accident and is investigating the cause of the accident and whether it violates the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Hyundai Steel and other subcontractors where the accident occurred also have 5 to 49 full-time workers, so the mid- to long-term disaster solution will be applied.

The serious disaster solution calls for employers or business managers being sentenced to more than a year in prison or fined up to 1 billion won for neglecting their duty to prevent accidents in the event of serious accidents such as the death of workers.

Meanwhile, this is the fourth time that a serious accident has occurred at Hyundai Steel's workplace since the enforcement of the Serious Accident Punishment Act. Hyundai Steel had an accident in March 2022 when a worker fell into a large container for plating and died at its Dangjin steel mill. In the same month, a worker was crushed to death by a steel structure at Yesan factory. In December 2022, a worker crashed during the repair of a safety railing at a raw material treatment facility at Dangjin Steel Mill.

 

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