I started a conversation about work safety.
On June 24, a massive fire broke out at a battery factory in Hwaseong, South Korea. Despite a rapid response from the second level, with more than 145 firefighters and 50 fire engines dispatched to battle the blaze, more than 20 bodies were recovered from the scene, presumably including 23 workers who had been reported missing earlier.
The tragic incident left the entire country shaken after the initial reports. But recently released CCTV footage of the fire has sparked deep discussions about the safety of workers at the factory and whether this tragedy could have been avoided.
Security footage from the factory showed the fire started with a small explosion from a pile of batteries stacked at knee height. There is no clear indication whether any external factors caused the explosion. However, one employee noticed the smoke and quickly retreated. Two other employees began removing the smoking battery stack, to prevent the fire from spreading to other batteries. But overall, the employees on the floor did not appear to realize the seriousness of the situation when they resumed work.
A few seconds after the smoke started, a large flame ignited from the battery stack, causing a secondary explosion. The two employees who were moving the package were startled and walked away. Five seconds later, a new explosion occurred, prompting another employee to grab a fire extinguisher. Unfortunately, this powder extinguisher seemed unsuitable for lithium flames, as it did nothing to suppress the flames.
As the employee continued to use the extinguisher, another explosion occurred, at which point workers began to evacuate the extinguisher. Shortly after, 5-6 consecutive explosions occurred with bright flashes as the screen filled with thick smoke. Approximately 4 hours and 40 minutes later, 21 employees working on this floor were found dead in the corner room opposite the initial ignition point.
The footage has left netizens wondering whether the workers have received adequate training to deal with such emergencies. Many felt that if they had known the proper safety measures to take, this number of deaths could have been avoided altogether.
- “The company should have provided regular training for situations like this.”
- “I saw on the news yesterday that many of the workers were temporary employees who had not worked there for a long time and were not familiar with the layout of the building, which contributed to the tragedy. The exit was located close to the fire, and there was no exit on the opposite side, so they were trapped and could not get out.” “Escape.”
- “Oh no, they didn’t have enough safety training…”
- “This is so annoying…”
- “Uh…if they were evacuated immediately.”
This incident has put Aricel under scrutiny as the majority of its workforce consists of foreign workers holding Korean F-4 and H-2 work and visit visas, despite not meeting the standards necessary to employ such workers. Aricel CEO Park Sun-kwan denied accusations of illegally hiring foreign workers, noting that most of them were hired through a human resources agency as subcontracted day laborers. He also alleged that the agency was providing instructions to the workers, in an attempt to evade the responsibility of providing safety-related vocational training to the workers.
The percentage of foreign workers in Aricel shows that it is a company that relies heavily on foreign workers. There is high suspicion that this is a case of illegal recruitment of foreign workers with the aim of obtaining cheap labor without taking proper safety measures.
— Professor Kim Sung-hee, Korea University Graduate School of Labor Studies
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