Do You Know the 'Safe City' That Protects Your Life?… Humanities Lecture on Safety Culture Unfolds

KOSHA Spreads "Time to Deliver Safety" Video

Do you know the ‘Safe Hour’ that will protect your life?

The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency have been broadcasting videos titled ‘Time to Deliver Safety (Safe Hour)’ through YouTube and other SNS channels since the 14th.

‘Safe Hour’ is a video series in which speakers from various fields including government, private sector, and academia share their experiences and views on industrial safety and health in a lecture format to promote safety culture.

Starting with the lecture video of Ryu Kyung-hee, Director of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, which has already been released online, a total of six videos will be released sequentially.

The second video, newly released from the 27th, features Chairman Ahn Jong-joo of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, with the theme ‘The Banality of Evil and the Banality of Major Accidents.’

Video of the 'Safety Poetry' program by An Jong-ju, Chairman of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

In his lecture, Chairman Ahn first introduced the actions of Adolf Eichmann, one of the Nazi war criminals who transported Jews to death camps. He also explained the concept of the ‘banality of evil,’ coined by journalist Hannah Arendt after observing Eichmann. This concept suggests that ordinary behavior can sometimes become evil.

Chairman Ahn conveyed that the banality of evil is a concept applicable not only to war criminals but also to major industrial accidents in our society.

Major accidents occur during routine work in very ordinary workplaces.

Additionally, Chairman Ahn introduced various cases of major accidents caused by safety negligence and emphasized the importance of ‘risk assessment’ conducted jointly by labor and management. He also hoped for the interest and practice of all workplaces to establish a safety culture.

The ‘Safe Hour’ videos can be viewed on the Safety Culture Practice Promotion Team website and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency’s YouTube channel. The videos will also be promoted through the activities of the Safety Culture Practice Promotion Teams organized in 39 regions nationwide.

Chairman Ahn said, “As revealed in the Safe Hour lecture, establishing a ‘self-discipline prevention system’ centered on risk assessment in workplaces will be the catalyst for reducing major accidents,” and added, “I hope Safe Hour will be an opportunity for everyone to reconsider safety culture.”

A scene from the 'Safety City' program video featuring An Jong-ju, Chairman of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.

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