Following a month-long inspection of HL Mando’s Pyeongtaek plant by the Ministry of
Employment and Labor, 138 violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act were identified across both the prime contractor and subcontractors. Eighty-six of these violations are subject to criminal prosecution, and fines totaling approximately 280 million won are expected to be imposed for the remaining 52 violations. This inspection was conducted as a follow-up to the fatal accident involving a subcontracted worker that occurred at the plant on July 22.
In this news segment, we will summarize the findings from the inspection, the follow-up measures taken by the company and the government, and the questions these violations raise for manufacturing sites in general.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor conducted an inspection of the HL Mando Pyeongtaek plant from August 18 to September 18. Of the 138 violations identified, 125 were attributed to the prime contractor; 81 of these will be subject to criminal prosecution, and 44 will result in administrative fines totaling approximately 260 million won. Thirteen violations were identified at four subcontractors; five will face criminal prosecution, and fines totaling approximately 20 million won will be imposed for eight of them.
Of the 78 safety and health rule violations by the prime contractor, 26 were related to “entrapment,” similar to the recent fatal accident. These included instances where machinery was operated with the interlock—a safety device—disengaged. An interlock is a device that prevents equipment from moving when a person approaches; the practice of temporarily disengaging it to improve production efficiency has long been a point of criticism in manufacturing facilities.
The remaining 52 cases involved violations related to the prevention of serious accidents, such as falls, electric shocks, and collisions. Additionally, three cases were identified in which the prime contractor, as the contracting party, neglected to take measures to prevent industrial accidents involving workers from subcontractors.
The Pyeongtaek plant failed to hold 17 of its scheduled Occupational Safety and Health Committee meetings from 2021 through this year, with only five actually taking place. It was also found that the process of reconstituting the committee this year did not meet statutory requirements, resulting in a planned fine of 85 million won. Approximately 170 million won in fines will also be imposed for 42 violations, including failure to conduct safety and health training and inadequate management of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
Ahead of the announcement of the inspection results, HL Mando unveiled comprehensive safety improvement measures on the 21st. These include conducting annual full-scale inspections of all business sites in collaboration with external expert agencies, addressing risk factors using a special budget, and revising procedures to ensure urgent improvements are implemented immediately, even before budget approval. The plan also includes the introduction of people-detecting CCTV cameras, the establishment of a new occupational safety and health office, and the participation of the labor union in risk assessments. However, labor groups maintain that the investment and staffing plans lack specificity.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor has directed the Pyeongtaek plant to establish measures to prevent a recurrence and has also begun inspections of HL Mando’s Wonju and Iksan plants. Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon emphasized that “there can be no distinction between prime contractors and subcontractors when it comes to workers’ lives,” stressing that safety must be embedded in business operations.
This is where Digital Presso draws attention to a key point: such figures are only compiled all at once after external oversight is introduced. This is a structural issue that can arise anywhere on a worksite where safety-related compliance information is scattered across departments and documents.
A clear line must be drawn. Issues concerning the physical safety of equipment—such as disengaging interlocks—fall within the realm of safety devices and work procedures; they are not matters that software can prevent on its own. On the other hand, items like holding meetings or completing training—where omissions become apparent simply by tallying whether they were carried out—are of a different nature.
This is why Digitalpresso’s Manufacturing DX·AX solutions start with measurement. The process begins by converting on-site records—which were previously scattered across paper and verbal communications—into structured data, and then using real-time dashboards to reveal how issues are being addressed. What is not measured does not become data, and what does not become data is difficult to manage.
Inspections are conducted only during designated periods, and the long gaps in between must be filled by the facility’s own verification system. The fact that 138 violations were uncovered during a single month of inspections should not be viewed as merely a problem for one company. The same question remains for other manufacturing sites managing the same items.
The Electric Times, “138 Safety Law Violations Detected at HL Mando’s Pyeongtaek Plant… 86 Cases Referred for Legal Action,” 2026 — https://www.electimes.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=372664
The Korea Economic Daily, “HL Mando, Following ‘Worker Entrapment Death,’ Issues Apology and Safety Measures… Press Conference Canceled Due to Protests by Bereaved Families,” 2026 — https://www.dnews.co.kr/uhtml/view.jsp?idxno=202609211838454930031
Ministry of Employment and Labor’s Industrial Safety Inspection Results for HL Mando’s Pyeongtaek Plant (August 18–September 18, 2026; cited in the article)
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