Ulsan tightens safety rules for paint businesses near residential areas

Ulsan city conducted an emergency probe of paint-handling businesses in residential neighborhoods following a warehouse fire at KCC Paint in Nam-gu on July 3, uncovering multiple violations and ordering corrective measures while pledging to strengthen safety oversight.

From July 4 to July 20, city officials jointly inspected 59 paint-handling businesses near residential areas with the fire department, district and county offices, and the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office. The probe found 34 violations across 24 businesses, including illegal building extensions or alterations, unauthorized outdoor storage of paint, failure to wear protective equipment, and missing hazardous-materials signs and notice boards.

In response, the city plans to hold an education session next month for operators of paint retail outlets covering hazardous-materials regulations and safety management practices. Businesses licensed as hazardous-materials sales and handling sites will be subject to one special inspection per year. The city also said it would encourage residents to report unlicensed hazardous-materials handling through the "Safety Sinmungo" app and other channels.

The July 3 fire killed one person, seriously injured one and left three others with minor injuries, for a total of five casualties. It also displaced 29 people from 23 households.

To help affected residents return to normal life as quickly as possible, the city is providing support through civic safety insurance, emergency welfare assistance, temporary housing subsidies, disaster psychological recovery services and disaster relief. Eight households comprising 11 people are receiving living and housing expense support; all 23 displaced households are receiving accommodation costs; and 10 residents who suffered psychological harm and requested help are receiving disaster mental health recovery services.

"We will take this incident as an opportunity to thoroughly re-examine the safety management of hazardous-materials businesses near residential areas and swiftly address any risk factors identified on site, so that similar accidents do not recur," a city official said.