[Kyunghyang, Jan. 29] Samsung Concealed Hydrofluoric Acid Leak for over 25 Hours: Failed to Report Accident even after Death of Subcontractor's Employ

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Samsung Concealed Hydrofluoric Acid Leak for over 25 Hours: Failed to Report Accident even after Death of Subcontractor's Employee

By Choi In-jin

Posted on : 2013-01-29 14:12

Samsung Electronics tried to cover up a hydrofluoric acid leak. The accident went unreported for over 25 hours until Samsung belatedly reported the accident to Gyeonggi Province around 2:42 p.m. on January 28, only after the incident had spread and a fatality had occurred. Meanwhile, the police, local government and fire authorities had no clue about the accident.

* Working without Protective Clothing

Park (34) who died from the hydrofluoric acid leak had worked on repairs until 5:40 a.m. on January 28, yet he only wore a gas mask with no other protective clothing. Park, a 9-year veteran on the job, is assumed to have died from direct exposure to hydrofluoric acid gas. The four other workers who were working on the site with Park were fully equipped with protective gear, which allowed them to escape death.

STI Service confirmed the hydrofluoric acid leak at around 1:31 p.m. on January 27, but covered the leak with a plastic bag for 10 hours until they engaged in repair work. Lee Jong-chae, senior director of STI Service said, "The initial diagnosis of the hydrofluoric acid leak deemed the amount to be small, so we temporarily blocked the leak with a plastic bag." 

On January 28, a Samsung Electronics employee is explaining the details of the hydrofluoric acid leak before the Samsung Electronics Hwaseong plant, in Gyeonggi Province, where the accident occurred killing one worker and injuring four others. Samsung Electronics opened the site of the accident to the press after cleanup. Yonhap News

This shows that Samsung Electronics and STI Service had neglected to supervise their workers to ensure they were properly equipped with safety gear, and also that they responded carelessly to the leak for over ten hours.

A person from Samsung Electronics said, "When STI was first aware of the incident, they determined it to be a routine maintenance activity rather than a gas leak. But when the workers went in, they realized it was a leak and began repair work. In the process they were exposed to the gas."

* Samsung Electronics Did Not Order Evacuations

It has been confirmed that Samsung Electronics did not notify related institutions and their employees for over 25 hours after the hydrofluoric acid leak occurred in their Hwaseong plant. Lee Seung-baek, director of communications at the Hwaseong plant DS sector, held an on-site briefing at 7:30 p.m. on January 28, 30 hours since they first identified the hydrofluoric acid leak, and stated, "More than fifty employees work on the site (line 11). We did not order their evacuation."

According to Samsung Electronics, the accident occurred at 1:31 p.m. on January 27. They discovered the hydrofluoric acid leaking in liquid form from a valve in the central chemical supply line outside line 11 and reported the discovery to STI Service, the firm in charge of management and operation. 

An STI Service employee who examined the site decided it would be appropriate to repair the leak late at night since it was a slight leak, and Samsung Electronics accepted the judgment. The leak was neglected for over 10 hours until 11 p.m. that day when STI Service began repair work, exposing holes in the early response to the incident based on their judgment of "a slight leak."

At 4:46 a.m. the next day, January 28, they finished repairs and an hour later at 5:40 a.m., they completed neutralizing and washing the spilled hydrofluoric acid. In the process, Samsung Electronics did not notify their employees of the leak and did not order them to evacuate. Workers in the production facilities connected to the leak (line 11) were not aware of the leak and they continued operation without interruption even while the workers replaced the pipes.

* The Site was Excluded from Inspections

Samsung Electronics' Hwaseong workplace was designated as a green business by the Ministry of Environment, and had not received the local government's inspection for toxic substances. Gyeonggi Province carried out inspections of workplaces handling hydrofluoric acid after a hydrofluoric acid accident occurred in Gumi on September 27, 2012. 

During this inspection, the local government classified Samsung's Hwaseong plant as a model workplace in following safety standards for toxic substances. Some are pointing out that Samsung Electronics, which remained outside the supervision of the local government, failed to carry out strict internal inspections increasing the risk of an accident.

On January 28, Gyeonggi Province announced, "We carried out special safety inspections of 28 sites dealing with hydrofluoric acid within the province on October 11~17, 2012. All the workplaces we inspected had secured neutralizers such as calcium hydroxide along with personal protective equipment such as gas masks, protective clothing and gloves, as well as fire extinguishers. 

Thus we assessed them to be safe." But the accident at Samsung's Hwaseong plant revealed circumstances in which safety regulations may have been violated, raising questions about whether the local government properly carried out the inspections. 

The old gasket in the hydrofluoric acid tank valve, which was the cause of the leak, was not checked in the inspection four months ago. Yet the gasket was assessed as normal, only to deteriorate so much that it leaked hydrofluoric acid in less than four months. This may be interpreted as evidence that the inspections by Gyeonggi Province were not carried out properly.