• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.360-366
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• 2018

Purpose: This study operation of Joint inter-agency Chemical Emergency Preparedness Center and contribute to the reduction of chemical accidents that occur continuously. Method: The Joint inter-agency Chemical Emergency Preparedness Center functions and Chemical accident statistics data of the ('13~'17) were utilized. Results: The number of chemical accidents is decreasing from 113 in '15, 78 in '16, 87 in '17(latest five years 469 chemical accidents). The Joint inter-agency Chemical Emergency Preparedness Center is located in the industrial complex that handling a large amount of chemical, and performs functions such as prompt response, probation & investigation, accident prevention training, safety patrol. It is believed that it contributes to the decreasing of chemical accident by local control accident prevention function. Conclusion: Decreasing the safety management according to the Chemicals control act('15.1.1). The Joint inter-agency Chemical Emergency Preparedness Center('14.1 set up manage organization), which is operated as a mission to prepare respond to chemical accidents, plays a role.

• The Safety technology
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• no.195
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• pp.16-17
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• 2014

2012년 9월 27일 사회적으로 큰 파장을 불러 일으켰던 구미 불산 사고와 이후에도 꾸준히 발생한 각종 화학물질 누출사고를 계기로, 산업현장의 각종 화학사고에 대한 선제적이고 일사분란한 대응, 그리고 현장 중심 예방대책의 중요성이 절실해지고 있다. 이런 상황 속에 정부는 지난해 7월 안전정책조정회의에서 '범정부 화학재난 안전관리체계 개편방안'을 내놓고, 시흥, 익산, 구미, 서산, 여수, 울산지역 6개 산단 내에 환경부, 고용노동부, 산업통상자원부, 소방방재청 등이 참여하는 합동방재센터를 운영하기로 했다. 그리고 지난해 12월 5일 구미 국가산단 내에 합동방재센터가 전국에서 처음으로 개소하게 된다. 합동방재센터 중 '구미 119화학구조센터'는 예방 활동은 물론, 신속한 대응이 이뤄질 수 있도록 하는 중추적인 역할을 수행하고 있다. 이곳 119 화학구조센터 주영국 센터장을 만나 방재센터가 지향하는 궁극적인 목표와 운영방침 등을 들어봤다.

• The Safety technology
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• no.198
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• pp.26-28
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• 2014

2년 전인 지난 2012년 9월 27일 경북 구미4공단에 소재한 휴브글로벌에서 불화수소가 누출되는 사고가 발생했다. 이 사고로 근로자 5명이 사망하고 23명이 부상을 당했다. 사고 후 불화수소가 공기를 통해 대량 퍼지면서 인근 지역도 막대한 피해를 입었다. 사고는 안전관리측면에서 많은 허점을 드러냈다. 사업장은 물론 관할 소방서, 구미시 모두에서 화학사고에 대한 대응 매뉴얼과 협조체계가 제대로 구축되지 않아 피해의 확산을 막지 못했다. 너무나 허술한 화학사고 대응체계의 현실에 구미시민은 물론 전 국민이 분노했다. 이에 정부는 화학물질관리 및 사고대응 시스템 전면에 대한 대대적인 개선에 돌입했다. 그리고 그 결과물이 지난해 12월 초 모습을 드러냈다. 관계부처, 지자체, 소방당국, 안전보건공단까지 한데 모여 효과적인 화학사고 예방과 대응을 전담하는 화학재난 합동방재센터가 전국에서 처음으로 구미에 문을 연 것이다. 그로부터 반년이 흐른 지금 구미에는 어떤 변화가 생겼을까. 달라진 화학재난 안전관리체계를 확인해보고자 구미119화학구조센터를 찾아가봤다.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 2023

Objectives: Personal protective equipment (PPE) is an essential means for protecting workers against hazardous agents or risks that threaten their safety and health. Governmental organizations related to safety and health in the workplace regulate the PPE rules to protect workers and to minimize damage from hazardous agents. This study discussed current PPE rules overseen by the Korea Ministry of Environment and explores future perspectives on the matter. Methods: This study was based on a review of PPE regulations with which every stakeholder should comply in the workplace. Both South Korean regulations enforced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Environment and cases from other countries were reviewed. Results: Regulations related to the PPE required for handling chemical substances in the workplace are enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, Enforcement Decree, Enforcement Rules, and Notification of Protective Equipment Certification under the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The Ministry of Environment also regulates the PPE standards for 97 substances requiring preparation for accidents and adjustment of work conditions, but a recent amendment (partially amended on September 30, 2022) loosened some unreasonable or excessive provisions. It requires workers simply to carry or otherwise keep PPE handy instead of wearing it for some tasks in which hazardous chemicals are not handled directly. Conclusions: It is important to regularly review provisions that need to be improved or supplemented to help all stakeholders. Considerations should be also made to build a reasonable regulatory system that can induce more mature safety management in each workplace.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.84-90
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• 2018

Chemical accidents occur in various forms, such as explosions, leaks, spills, and fires. In particular, chemical accidents caused by fires seriously affect the surrounding air environment due to soot, causing anxiety to the residents. Therefore, it is important to identify the causative substances quickly and examine the influence of air quality in the surrounding area. In this paper, proton transfer reaction-time of flight mass spectrometry(PTR-ToFMS) was used to identify the causative material in a fire and monitor the air quality in real time. This analyzer is capable of real-time analysis with a rapid response time without sample collection and pretreatment. In addition, it is suitable for quantitative and qualitative analysis of most volatile organic compounds with high hydrogen affinity, to identify the cause of fire and examine the influence of ambient air. In April 2018, when a local fire occurred, methanol, acetone, and methyl ethyl ketone were the main causative agents in PTR-ToFMS.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.346-354
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• 2023

Objectives: Chemical accidents cause extensive human and environmental damage. Therefore, it is important to prepare measures to prevent their recurrence and minimize future damage through accident investigation. To this end, it is necessary to identify the accident occurrence process and analyze the extent of damage. In this study, the development process and damage range of actual chemical leakage accidents were analyzed using CFD. Methods: For application to actual chemical leakage accidents using FLACS codes specialized for chemical dispersion simulation among CFD codes, release rate calculation and 3D geometry were created, and scenarios for simulation were derived. Results: The development process of the accident and the dispersion behavior of materials were analyzed considering the influencing factors at the time of the accident. In addition, to confirm the validity of the results, we compared the results of the actual damage impact investigation and the simulation analysis results. As a result, both showed similar damage impact ranges. Conclusions: The FLACS code allows the detailed analysis of the simulated dispersion process and concentration of substances similar to real ones. Therefore, it is judged that the analysis method using CFD simulation can be usefully applied as a chemical accident investigation technique.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.60-69
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• 2023

Objectives: Business operators handling hazardous chemicals regulated under the Chemical Substances Control Act (CSCA) must receive permits to operate their business from the Ministry of Environment. This study analyzed the status of recent legal violation in chemical handling workplaces in Ulsan where a large volume of chemicals is handled for industrial use. Methods: A total of 557 corporations have been granted legal status as business operators in Ulsan. For all business operators, legal violations in regard to the CSCA that were discovered by the environmental office in the last five years (2018~2022) were thoroughly analyzed. Results: A total of 225 violations of the CSCA have been discovered at 165 corporations, with the violation rate accounting for approximately 27% of all business operators. In particular, 22% of the 165 violators (36 corporations) were discovered to have violated twice or more, and some business operators (6%) even violated in consecutive years. Non-compliance of facility inspection was the most frequent violation (45 cases, 20.1%), followed by non-reporting of important changes in the permitted matters (23 cases, 10.3%), non-completion of legal safety education (19 cases, 8.5%), failure to secure permission for modification in the permitted matters (18 cases, 8.0%), and failure to submit chemical transport plans (16 cases, 7.1%). Conclusions: Most of the violations could have been prevented if the field personnel had paid sufficient attention. Thus, it is fundamentally necessary to create an environment for spontaneous safety management for themselves and to strengthen individual capabilities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.662-671
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• 2015

As the type of Hazardous and Noxious Substances(HNS) becomes various and the transport volume of HNS increases, HNS spill incidents occur frequently on land and the sea. In view of various damages to human lives and properties by HNS spills, it is necessary to educate and train professional personnel in preparation for and response to potential HNS spills. This study shows the current state of response systems and education courses against HNS spill incidents on land and the sea to compare those with each other between land and sea in Korea. Incident command system on land are basically similar to that at sea, but leading authority which is responsible for combating HNS spills at sea is changeable depending on the location of HNS spill, as it were, Korea Coast Guard(KCG) is responsible for urgent response to HNS spill at sea, while municipalities are responsible for the response to HNS drifted ashore. Education courses for HNS responders on land are established at National Fire Service Academy(NFSA), National Institute of Chemical Safety(NICS), etc., and are diverse. Education and training courses for HNS responder at sea are established at Korea Coast Guard Academy(KCGA) and Marine Environment Research & Training Institute(MERTI), and are comparatively simple. Education courses for dangerous cargo handlers who work in port where land is linked to the sea are established at Korea Maritime Dangerous Goods Inspection & Research Institute(KOMDI), Korea Port Training Institute(KPTI) and Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology(KIMFT). Through the comparison of education courses for HNS responders between land and sea, some recommendations such as extension of education targets, division of an existing integrated HNS course into two courses composed of operational level and manager level with respective refresh course, on-line cyber course and joint inter-educational institute course in cooperation with other relevant institutes are proposed for the improvement in education courses of KCG and KOEM(Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation) to educate and train professionals for combating HNS spills at sea in Korea.