Hanwha Aerospace halts production for two-day safety inspection after Daejeon explosion

Hanwha Aerospace is suspending production at most of its nine domestic facilities for two days, starting July 4, to conduct special safety inspections. This decision comes in the wake of an explosion at its Daejeon plant on July 1, prompting a re-evaluation of safety management systems for processes handling explosives.

The company announced on July 4 that production lines will be halted at all domestic sites except for essential operations on July 4-5. Site leaders and safety managers will oversee special inspections and employee safety training. This marks the first time Hanwha Aerospace has simultaneously stopped production across multiple sites since the integration of its legal entities in 2023. The company stated it is prioritizing safety checks over potential production disruptions to prevent incidents like the one in Daejeon.

The inspections will cover facilities producing propellants and explosives in Daejeon, Boeun, and Yeosu, as well as plants manufacturing K-9 self-propelled howitzers, armored vehicles, and aircraft engines in Changwon. Research and development campuses in Daejeon, Pangyo, and Asan are also included. The checks will comprehensively assess fire and explosion risks, major accident hazards, facility conditions, risk assessments, and past incident analyses. They will also review improvements based on risk assessments from the past three years and the implementation of preventive measures.

For facilities handling explosives in Daejeon, Boeun, and Yeosu, detailed checks will be conducted on protective gear, grounding, temperature and humidity control, tool management, equipment aging, and storage of explosives. Emergency drills will also be performed. Hanwha Aerospace is considering expanding automation in propellant production and handling processes at these three sites. While some high-risk processes already utilize automation or are under construction, the company plans to extend this to processes previously deemed lower risk.

Beyond Hanwha Aerospace, other Hanwha Group affiliates, including Hanwha Corp., Hanwha Solutions, Hanwha TotalEnergies Petrochemical, Hanwha Impact, and YNCC, will also conduct detailed environmental and safety inspections at their domestic and international sites by July 10. Each company will form its own inspection team, led by its CEO, to comprehensively review on-site safety management, production processes, and environmental aspects.