An official workplace safety poster warning against machine entrapment accidents / Ministry of Employment and Labor

Following a recent spate of machine entrapment accidents at manufacturing plants, labor authorities will launch an emergency inspection of 1,000 manufacturing sites—including those with a history of recurring incidents—to prevent further casualties.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 30th that it will conduct an urgent safety audit from July 1 to 10 to check compliance with core safety regulations at 1,000 manufacturing facilities vulnerable to entrapment hazards.

This emergency measure follows a series of caught-in-between accidents during non-routine operations, such as maintenance and repair work, which persisted even after the ministry's initial intensive inspections in May.

According to the ministry, a worker's body was caught in a corrugated cardboard cutting machine while applying lubricating oil at a plant in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 30. On the same day, another entrapment accident occurred during a roller conveyor inspection at an automotive parts factory in Asan, South忠청 Province. More recently, on June 10, a worker's hand was caught in an active panning machine at a food manufacturing plant in Dalseong County, Daegu.

In response, the ministry will focus heavily on verifying whether essential preventative measures are in place, including the installation of protective covers and safety guards, enforcement of Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) protocols during maintenance and repair work, and the proper display of safety warning signs. If violations are uncovered during the audits, the ministry intends to issue immediate fines and demand corrective actions. Establishments that fail to implement these rectifications will face severe judicial measures.

"The fact that machine entrapment accidents continue to recur at the same workplaces is clear evidence that companies have either failed to establish proper safety management systems or neglected known hazards," Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon stated. "Because caught-in-between accidents can be entirely prevented simply by adhering to basic protocols, I hope this serves as an opportunity for both management and labor to work together to ensure these foundational safety rules are thoroughly respected on the factory floor."

                                                                                                             Kim Bo-young