멈추지 않는 비극의 도미노: 대한민국 사회, 안전 불감증의 현주소를 묻다 > K-wave Trends

The dangerous speed of private ambulances exposes the true face of our emergency transport system. The practice of ignoring laws on the road in the name of transporting patients has now reached a point where it threatens the lives of innocent citizens. In particular, the behavior of companies that frequently speed and violate red lights to generate profits has reduced ambulances to time bombs on the road rather than rescuers in emergency situations. Accordingly, the government has introduced a certification system and introduced measures to manage accident history, but there is a high concern that this will simply end up being a prescription after the fact. Fundamentally, the cycle of tragedy can be broken only by improving the profit structure of ambulance operations and intensive institutional overhaul that corrects the distorted perception of the industry that puts profit ahead of life.

The fall death of a man in his 50s that occurred at the National Assembly building in Yeouido on the 10th caused a great shock. This disaster, which occurred in Korea's highest legislative body and a place where safety is supposed to be discussed, clearly shows the loopholes in management. The victim, who was in cardiac arrest during the initial reporting and rescue process, eventually passed away at the hospital, and the police are currently investigating the exact circumstances of the accident and his affiliation. A thorough investigation is needed to determine whether the safety management system within national facilities was operating properly or whether it failed to prevent preventable accidents in spaces accessible to everyone. This unfortunate death that occurred inside the Capitol, which should be solemn, ironically proves how careless our society has been in even managing the safety of public spaces.

Trapped accidents in industrial settings have become such a chronic problem that they are now referred to as ‘forecast talent’. The serious accident involving a subcontractor that occurred at Our Home's Yongin factory is causing public outrage as it shows that even the most basic safety devices such as safety covers and emergency stop buttons were not in place. Moreover, the repeated entrapment accidents at the Shani bakery clearly expose the reality that companies are stingy with safety investments while risking legal punishment. Despite the implementation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, the structure in which risks are concentrated on workers at subcontractors and poor safety management are still not improved. Without a major change in corporate ethics that values ​​each worker's finger and life more than the efficiency of machines, these bloody tragedies in the industrial field will never stop.

The third fatal accident that occurred at the Shinansan Line construction site is a clear example of how empty the slogan ‘safety innovation’ is. The construction company, POSCO E&C, issued an apology every time an accident occurred and promised to prevent recurrence, but the safety net at the site still had holes. The death of the worker who fell 15 meters is not a result of simple negligence, but the result of the indifference of the entire system. In particular, repeated accidents in large-scale construction projects lead to suspicions that the construction company's safety management capabilities are significantly lacking or that safety regulations are being intentionally ignored to save costs. The standard statement, ‘We will make sure this never happens again,’ no longer provides comfort to the bereaved family and the public, and the only solution is to stop actual field work and impose strong legal liability.