KCC under fire for its 'deadly' workspace

Hefty glass sheets are broken at materials maker KCC's plant in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Due to the accident, a worker surnamed Byun, who was caught under the glass, died. Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province Fire Service

By Nam Hyun-woo

KCC Chairman Chung Mong-jin

KCC is facing growing criticism for failing to ensure worker safety after two of its workers died at its glass factory in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, according to company officials and labor activists Tuesday.

The incidents will tarnish the corporate image of Korea's largest construction material maker, making it harder for them to win new orders abroad.

On Monday, a KCC employee, identified by his surname Byun, was caught under a bundle of glass sheets while he was putting them into storage at the Yeoju plant. Byun was taken to a nearby hospital immediately but he was later pronounced dead.

The bundle was comprised of 10 3.6-meter wide, 2.7-meter tall glass sheets, which weighed more than 2.5 tons, according to KCC officials.

This is not the first time an employee has died while working at the plant. In August last year, another employee died in a similar accident. Police investigation at the time found that an error made by a forklift operator caused the death of the worker.

“We are regretful that another accident occurred even though we enhanced our safety protocols after the accident in August,” a KCC official said.

Employees claimed, however, the accidents stem from the plant's “six-shift system,” which divides employees into seven groups and has them working in six shifts.

“After the August accident, employees have said the shift system may contribute to worker errors because it was expected to severely undermine employees' skills and lower available workforce at a certain job,” said an official at Korean Chemistry & Textile Federation of Unions, which is an umbrella group for KCC's union.

According to the official, the forklift driver was not specialized in driving the machine, but had to do the job due to the shift system and committed a safety error.

“At the time, employees raised concerns that this may cause safety problems, but it ended up with an agreement between management and workers over enhanced safety measures,” the official said.

“However, another accident happened and it took a valuable life. Though the accident could have been caused by employee error, the system also played a role in making the work environment prone to accidents.”

Over Monday's accident, some other workers said the plant was still operating even though the fatal accident took place.

In response to their claim, KCC admitted the facility was still operating because it could not shut down the furnace right away.

“Unlike general machines, it takes at least two months to turn off the furnace,” the KCC official said. “If we shut it down abruptly, it will blow up and cause bigger accidents. The storage part stopped operating and helped address the accident.”

KCC, led by Chairman Chung Mong-jin, has made headlines recently with its plan to acquire U.S. silicone maker Momentive Performance Materials despite expected financial burdens to the firm.