220 Major Elevator Accidents in the Past 5 Years... Over Half Due to 'User Negligence'

Assemblyman Han Byung-do, 15 Dead, 222 Injured... Most Occurred in Gyeonggi, Seoul, and Busan

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] About half of the serious accidents occurring in elevators, escalators, wheelchair lifts, and other lifting devices were found to be caused by user negligence.

On the 6th, Han Byung-do, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Iksan-eul, Jeonbuk), analyzed data submitted by the Korea Elevator Safety Agency and found that while "serious elevator accidents" had been on a decline until 2018, they increased again last year, reaching 72 cases nationwide. This year, 56 cases were reported from January to August alone.

Serious elevator accidents refer to major incidents involving death or injury as defined by the Enforcement Decree of the Elevator Safety Management Act. Last year, the law was amended to mandate accident reporting, which has led to faster and more accurate identification of safety incidents and an increase in the number of recorded accidents, according to Han's office.

From 2016 to August of this year, a total of 220 serious elevator accidents occurred nationwide over the past five years. By region, Gyeonggi had the highest number with 51 cases, followed by Seoul with 42 cases, and Busan with 30 cases.

During this period, a total of 15 people died and 222 were injured due to elevator accidents. Notably, multiple serious elevator accidents occurred more than twice at locations such as Homeplus Yeonsan Branch, Korea Railroad Corporation Gunsan Station, Mokpo Station, and Goyang General Terminal.

Half of the elevator accident causes, totaling 108 cases, were due to user negligence, while maintenance company negligence accounted for 27 cases, and worker negligence for 25 cases.

Han emphasized, "Elevators, which are an essential means of transportation in the rapidly increasing high-rise residential environment in Korea, are closely connected to our daily lives and therefore require more detailed inspections." He added, "Regarding accidents caused by user negligence, the Elevator Safety Agency should strengthen public awareness campaigns to prevent accidents and work to establish a safety culture."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.