Hanwha Aerospace moved to expand automation and remote operations for hazardous processes and significantly increased its safety budget after two earlier explosions. Still, the latest deadly blast has raised fresh doubts about whether the company’s safety systems fully reflected on-the-ground risks.
According to defense industry sources on the 2nd, following the consecutive explosions in 2018 and 2019, Hanwha Aerospace sought to lift work-stop orders from labor authorities by accelerating automation and remote handling for high-risk steps. The company also upgraded protective equipment such as flame-resistant suits, added dedicated safety personnel and increased safety-related spending by roughly 60–70 percent. Its safety and health organization continued to conduct risk assessments and preventive measures. On the day of the 2019 accident, the head of Hanwha’s defense division issued a formal apology and pledged, “We will focus all efforts on managing the aftermath and do our best to identify the root causes and corrective measures.”
Yet the recent large explosion has prompted questions about whether those preventive measures were effectively implemented at the shop-floor level. Critics say risk assessments and management systems across the production line may still have been insufficient. The company has said the washing process where the accident occurred was viewed internally as a relatively low-risk operation, a position that reinforces those concerns.
Investigators will also examine the fact that some victims were contract workers or employees rehired after retirement.
Contract status alone does not prove fault, but authorities must verify who was assigned to high-risk tasks and whether those workers received adequate safety training and had sufficient on-the-job proficiency. In processes involving hazardous materials, worker skill and field experience are directly linked to safety, so workforce assignment and management are critical components of any safety system.
Yun Dae-yeop, a professor of military studies at Daejeon University, said, “Production facilities in the defense sector often demand higher levels of expertise and skill than general manufacturing. Processes that handle explosive materials, in particular, depend heavily on workers’ experience and safety awareness.”
He added, “It’s essential to confirm whether personnel with the required expertise and skill were placed where needed and whether safety training and drills were carried out adequately.”
Meanwhile, Hanwha Aerospace said it will conduct a comprehensive review of its safety management system in response to the accident.
Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, posted on the company’s internal bulletin, “This accident is a stern reminder that we cannot afford even a moment of complacency on safety. We will not settle for merely formal measures; we will build safety systems that work in the field.”
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