Worker dies at Hankook’s Jiangsu, China tyre factory

At 22:20 on April 7, a mechanical injury occurred within the Banbury workshop on the west side of Hankook’s Jiangsu, China plant, causing the death of the operator of a Banbury machine. Recently, the government department where the factory is located released an investigation report on the incident.

According to the investigation, the operator, Qian, joined the tyre manufacturer in March 2012 and has worked at Hankook for 10 years. In October 2021, he transferred to his current position as a Banbury machine operator.

The report further stated that there were deficiencies in some aspects of education, training and investigation of hidden dangers at Hankook Jiangsu. Specifically, it is reported that, in the safety inspection work before the accident, Hankook failed to find a series of safety production problems, such as the lack of protective barriers around the conveyor belt in the rubber mixing section and the inconvenient location of the emergency stop button.

Ultimately, the incident was characterised as a general production safety liability accident. On 9 April 2022 Hankook and Qian’s family reached a mediation compensation agreement.

The investigation team suggested that Li Guifeng, vice chairman and general manager of Jiangsu Hankook Tire Co., Ltd., should be responsible for this incident and punished following the relevant provisions of China’s production safety law. In that case, if the main person in charge of the production and operation unit fails to perform the duties of safety production management, resulting in a general accident, a fine of 40 per cent of the previous year’s annual income shall be imposed.

The investigation team further stated that Hankook should deal with staff according to internal management regulations and report the results to the local safety supervision bureau.

Commenting on the reports, a Hankook Tire spokesperson confirmed that the company has upgraded its training and procedures since the tragedy:

“In April, an accident occurred at the Hankook Tire Jiangsu Plant in China resulting in the death of an employee.

“The health and safety of our employees is our top priority, and we continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the employee’s family.

“Since the accident, we have incorporated additional safety measures into our existing health and safety program to ensure the well-being of all employees.”