4 days ago
SPC Samlip HQ, factory searched over worker's death
Authorities carried out a search and seizure operation Tuesday at the headquarters of South Korean confectionery company SPC Samlip and its bread factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province as part of an investigation into the death of a worker who died after becoming trapped on a moving conveyor belt in May.
On Tuesday morning, police and officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor searched the company's headquarters in Seoul and Siheung-based plant, as well as the offices within the factory site to examine potential violations of Serious Accidents Punishment Act and Occupational Safety and Health Act.
The raid is the first search and seizure conducted 29 days after the conveyor belt accident as the court dismissed the police's three search warrant requests since May. The court granted the search warrant on June 13.
While the police reportedly announced that officials were dispatched to secure documents and digital data related to the overall production process of the bread factory, work procedures and accident prevention measures, the Labor Ministry's inspectors were set to focus on the proper safety measures for maintenance work to examine whether the accident was due to individual worker's mistake or the result of company's inadequate safety system.
'The search and seizure will focus on securing evidence related to whether proper safety measures were made during the maintenance procedure, including the application of lubricant. Based on the evidence obtained, we will thoroughly investigate whether the company had an effective safety and health management system in place to protect the worker,' the Labor Ministry said in an official statement.
'If any legal violations are found, we will take strict measures,' it added.
Both the police and the ministry have been investigating the case after the worker died on May 19.
Based on the on-site investigation, authorities previously revealed that the worker appears to have been fatally injured after going inside the machine to apply lubricant to the conveyor belt.
And the police recently confirmed that she was carrying a container of cutting fluid — oil which is used to reduce the frictional heat generated between the cutting tool and the material being cut — with methylene chloride listed as the main substance.
As the Ministry of Environment specified methylene chloride as a toxic substance known to pose significant health risks, including neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and potential damage to the liver, the police are reportedly investigating whether the cutting oil was used in the bread production process.
It stated that the cutting fluid container, which was voluntarily submitted by the factory, was sent to the National Forensic Service for analysis.
The food company claimed that it used food-grade lubricant which is harmless to the human body.
