The government will set up a joint investigation team with the civic sector to probe all past accidents that occurred at a thermal power plant in Taean, South Chungcheong Province.

The move follows the recent death of a young temporary worker at the plant operated by the Korea Western Power Company.

The Employment and Labor Ministry and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Monday announced a joint set of measures, explaining the probe team will include civic experts recommended by the victim's family.

The industrial safety investigation team will look into accidents that occurred at coal power plants over the years and step up safety measures accordingly.

The Labor Ministry also promised to transparently determine the cause of the accidents and conduct special inspections into workplace safety and workers' health.

The ministry said it will carry out emergency inspections of the Taean plant where the worker was found dead. If violations of regulations are confirmed, those responsible will be punished and the plant will be ordered to make applicable improvements.

The ministry also vowed to conduct comprehensive safety inspections on the Korea Western Power Company and 12 other coal power plants where the style of operation and facilities are similar to those of the Taean plant.