South Korean authorities order battery maker to halt operations over deadly blaze

After a fire that claimed 23 lives in South Korea on Wednesday ( Jun 26 ), authorities on the country issued an order to halt factory operations indefinitely. Additionally, three company officials were being investigated on suspicion of breaking industrial safety laws.

One of the most fatal business injuries in recent years was the blaze at unregistered battery manufacturer Aricell on Monday. Despite stricter rules and additional efforts to improve health, dozens of workers in South Korea lose their lives each year at the workplace.

The firm, located in Hwaseong, an commercial hub southwest of Seoul, was ordered to locked down its single factory for inspections, left ministry official Min Gil- so told a briefing.

The Aricell leaders ‘ names and titles were not made public. Infractions to the 2022 business security code can lead to jail sentences for fatal accidents.

Aricell CEO Park Quickly- kwan expressed regret for the fire on Tuesday, but said the organization had complied with all safety standards and coaching requirements.

According to fire officials, the mill, which had 35, 000 lithium chargers in storage at the time of the flames, was quickly engulfed in toxic fumes, which was good to have immediately rendered workers unconscious.

Just three of the deceased- who were Southern Korean males- have been identified. Due to the extent of the body destruction, the some, including 17 Chinese, have not been identified.

In light of concerns about Aricell’s getting of foreign employees on a temporary basis and whether they received adequate security training, researchers have begun a search to determine the cause of the blaze.

Aricell, which was founded in 2020, employs 48 full-time workers and produces potassium principal batteries for detectors and radio communication devices.

Its parent business, S- Connect, supplies potassium- ion battery parts to Samsung SDI, one of the country’s main extra battery makers.