A Study on the Countermeasures for Fire Prevention in Industrial Facilities : Focusing on the Lithium Battery

On June 24, 2024, at 10:30 a.m., a lithium battery explosion and fire broke out at the Aricell factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, killing eight people and injuring 23 others. A police investigation revealed serious problems, including a lack of training, illegal hiring of foreign workers, violations of fire safety regulations, reuse of defective products, and falsification of quality inspection records. The powder extinguishers used at the time were ineffective, and water was considered a more suitable extinguishing agent. Although lithium is designated as dangerous goods under Article 2 of the Dangerous Goods Safety and Management Act, lithium batteries are excluded from the current law. It is urgent to designate lithium as dangerous goods to prevent lithium fires. It is also necessary to amend the law revision severe penalties, including imprisonment, on business owners who cause fires by violating basic safety regulations, such as in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. We look forward to research and ongoing management to re-evaluate the risks of lithium batteries for future safety.