Amid a series of gas leakage accidents at Samsung Electronics workplaces, it is confirmed that the disaster response manual of Samsung Electronics has focused on blocking the information leak to the outside including the press. Samsung Electronics has responded a higher level of accident as 'an accident with lower risk' if the same accident did not become an issue of the public concerns.
Rep. Lee Yong-deuk of the ruling Democratic Party, belonging to the Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly on October 9 made public a document of '(rules) Disaster Response Planning of Samsung Electronics Device Solutions' prepared by the environment and safety team of Samsung Electronics' Giheung·Hwaseong·Pyeongtaek industrial complexes. It is the disaster response manual used by Samsung Electronics Device Solutions which comprises the memory business, system LSI business, and plants located in Giheung and Hwaseong and other areas. The manual was first developed in July, 2002 for the plants in Giheung, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Onyang and Cheonan. It was lastly revised on August 16 this year.
The manual states the processes of a variety of measures and responses for the protection of the company properties and the life of the employees from the disasters such as fires, explosions, natural disasters, human accidents, leakages and environmental pollution. However, some wordings in the manual show that Samsung Electronics is extremely reluctant to the information exposure of the accident, if happens, to the outside and the press. Samsung Electronics includes 'the press coverage which may adversely affect the company's management' in the definition of the corporate risks, along with "disasters or accidents", "environmental accidents", and "infringement of laws and regulations".
reported by Kim Hak-tae
translated by Kim Sung-jin