One worker was killed and two others remain unconscious after being exposed to carbon dioxide in the Samsung Electronics semiconductor factory in Giheung, Gyeonggi Province.
At around 1:55 p.m. on Sept. 4, they were found lying unconscious in a dense carbon dioxide storage facility in the basement of a production line, the police said.
The gas leak killed a 24-year-old worker from a Samsung subcontractor. Two others are undergoing treatment at a hospital but remain unconscious, it said.
The three worked for a fire safety maintenance company and were said to be moving some equipment at the plant. The authorities are working to find out the exact cause of the accident.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics reported it to the Ministry of Labor Affairs and the fire department around 3:48 p.m., two hours after the accident. Samsung is in the position that it did as required.
A similar accident occurred at a Samsung Electronics' research center in Suwon in the same province in March 2014. A subcontracted worker in his 50s died from inhaling carbon dioxide that leaked due to the malfunctioning of a firefighting facility in the basement.
Meanwhile, Kim Ki-nam, CEO of Samsung Electronics, made an official apology on Sept. 5 on the safety accident at the Giheung workplace.
