A worker in her 50s died early Monday after becoming trapped on a moving conveyor belt at SPC Samlip’s bread factory in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, police said.
According to the Siheung Police Station, the incident occurred at around 3 a.m. while the victim was applying lubricant to the conveyor belt of a bread production machine.
Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing factory personnel to determine the cause of the accident. They are also investigating whether the factory violated safety regulations. If negligence is confirmed, relevant officials could face charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
The incident marks yet another workplace accident at SPC-affiliated companies, which have faced public criticism and consumer boycotts in recent years over recurring worker injuries and fatalities.
In October 2022, a worker in her 20s died after being pulled into a sauce mixer at SPC’s affiliate SPL bread factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. In November 2023, a steel conveyor fell on a worker’s head at a logistics warehouse at the same factory. The worker, who was in their 20s, was wearing a safety helmet and avoided serious injury.
In August 2023, a woman in her 50s died after becoming trapped in a dough-brake machine. And in January of this year, a worker in their 50s had three fingers severed after their hand became caught in a rice processing machine at an SPC Shany factory in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Following the 2022 Pyeongtaek incident, four officials, including then SPC CEO Kang Dong-suk, were indicted on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and professional negligence resulting in death.
In a trial held in January this year, Kang was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years. Three other officials received sentences of four to six months, also suspended for two years. The company was fined 100 million won ($71,000).
