Petrotahlil - South Korean petrochemical producer LG Chem is carrying out emergency inspections at all 40 of its factories worldwide in response to two fatal accidents this month, including a leak of styrene vapour at the LG Polymers India plant in Visakhapatnam that killed at least 12 people.

The inspections will be done by internal and external safety experts and will be completed by the end of June. Safety upgrades will be made as needed, but LG said any plants with questionable prospects for being made safe may be closed indefinitely. The company did not indicate if the inspections will disrupt production at the plants.

The 7 May incident at LG Polymers India also injured hundreds of people. A fire at an LG Chem research center in South Korea's Daesan less than two weeks later, killed one worker and hospitalised two others.

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