Crackdown on illegal activities in 46 locations
Violation of handling hazardous chemicals
Failure to perform self-inspection, etc.
Gyeonggi Provincial Office Building. (Photo = Provided by Gyeonggi Province) *Resale and DB prohibited
(Suwon = Newsis) Reporter Lee Byeong-hee = After the fire at the Hwaseong factory, the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit conducted intensive inspections of 46 companies handling hazardous chemicals other than lithium and discovered 4 violations from 4 companies.
According to Gyeonggi Province on the 16th, special police inspected all manganese and nickel handling companies in the province, including storage, manufacturing, and transportation companies, from the 8th to the 12th, and cracked down on illegal activities by selecting users and sellers based on size.
The main types of violations detected include ▲3 cases of violations of hazardous chemical handling standards and ▲1 case of failure to conduct self-inspections.
Three companies that violated the standards for handling hazardous chemicals were caught storing different types of chemicals together in the same storage facility without separating them using partitions or floor dividers to keep the necessary distance between them.
Another company was caught for failing to conduct regular inspections of its hazardous chemical handling facilities and equipment at least once a week.
According to the Chemical Substances Control Act, if a person violates the standards for handling hazardous chemicals, fails to conduct self-inspections of hazardous chemical handling facilities and equipment at least once a week, or fails to record or maintain inspection results for five years, he or she will be subject to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 50 million won.
The special police plan to send all violators to the prosecution and report them to the relevant administrative agency. In addition, they plan to conduct an annual inspection of hazardous substances in the province to prevent major safety accidents.
A special police official said, “In order to prevent chemical accidents that could easily lead to major accidents, the handlers must be very careful. We will conduct inspections every year to block hazardous factors that can cause chemical accidents in advance and strive to make Gyeonggi Province a safe place for the residents.”
The Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police Unit is receiving reports of illegal activities from residents through its website (www.gg.go.kr/gg_special_cop) or the Gyeonggi Call Center (031-120).
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Source: www.newsis.com
