Value context and insight. lkm@koreatimes.co.kr
SPC plagued by repeated serious industrial accidents
A Shany factory operated by SPC Group in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap
By Lee Kyung-min
By Lee Kyung-min
A worker in her 50s at a factory operated by Shany, an SPC Group bread and snack manufacturing affiliate, was hospitalized, Tuesday, after she was caught between a lift and food manufacturing equipment, according to police and the firm, Wednesday.
The industrial accident in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, is a major blow to the food and beverage manufacturing conglomerate, since it comes only eight months after a worker died in a similar industrial accident last October at SPL, the group's bread-making affiliate in Pyeongtaek. In the months following that death, two more workers had their fingers either cut off or broken after getting them caught in a bread-making machine.
The public outcry against SPC's dereliction of health and safety workplace oversight led to the firm's chair pledging a 100 billion won ($75 million) investment in October. But few believe the investment commitment had any positive impact on the workers or their safety.
Experts say that repeated accidents result, in part, from a failure to clearly outline and follow basic on-site safety rules, compounded by the negligence of workplace supervisory figures and a lack of attention to electronic devices malfunctioning.
The worker in the latest accident has regained consciousness and is being prepared for surgery, according to the police.
The worker was caught in the machines because her colleague hit the operating switch without making sure she was ready.
In the Pyeongtaek accident, the victim was working alone, a violation of company rules which state a team of two must work together to ensure each other's safety.
SPC Group Chairman Heo Young-in said last October that the group's employees will follow strengthened safety rules.
“We will do our best to fortify safety manuals and establish a culture where workers are treated with respect. This pledge will help us regain trust with the public as a trusted company.”
However, those words are causing even more criticism from the public.
“How many more workers should die before SPC realizes the seriousness of workplace deaths and outlines proper measures?” an online comment read.
Meanwhile, SPC said in a statement: “We express our deepest condolences to the worker and her family. We will fully cooperate with the ongoing police investigation.”