Main Cause of Fatal Crushing Accidents in Industrial Sites: Lack of Protective Devices (Comprehensive)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The absence of wire mesh guards has been identified as a major cause of entrapment fatality accidents in hazardous workplaces.

This finding was included in the Industrial Safety and Health Research Summary recently released by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute. The summary contains 70 industrial safety and health research reports from last year.

The institute revealed that an in-depth analysis of 273 entrapment fatality accidents that occurred over four years from 2016 showed that the lack of protective devices such as wire mesh and failure to stop operation during maintenance and repair were among the most common causes.

Protective devices refer to wire mesh and similar guards that prevent workers' bodies from being caught in dangerous machinery, as mandated by the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

An institute official explained, "There are frequent cases where workers remove protective devices because they find them inconvenient at industrial sites, leading to injuries during work."

It was also found that many injuries occurred when maintenance or repair work was performed without stopping the machines. Accidents happen when stones, sticks, or other objects get caught while the equipment is running, pulling workers in.

According to the "Industrial Accident Occurrence Status as of September 2020" released by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, there were 1,571 deaths and 80,299 injured workers due to industrial accidents.

Kim Eun-ah, president of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, said regarding the publication of the summary, "It is important to establish and implement industrial accident prevention policies in line with rapidly changing safety and health environments. We will strive to create scientific evidence for policies and projects through research and development and to generate social value."

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