"Like a Real Situation" Department Stores and Outlets Strengthen Safety Training and Education

Joint Public-Private Comprehensive Drill Simulating Real Situations
Emergency Response Training and Education for Each Store

On the morning of the 31st of last month, when an emergency disaster alert message rang out early, raising awareness about safety, a "Comprehensive Emergency Rescue Drill with Residents of Northern Gyeonggi Province" was conducted at Lotte Premium Outlet Paju. It was a large-scale fire drill at a multi-use facility (large store) that assumed a safety accident had occurred, completing everything from initial response to disaster site cleanup and recovery. The drill was conducted assuming a fire broke out in an electric vehicle charging in the underground parking lot of Lotte Premium Outlet. Each time a situation occurred, such as initial response, report reception, and dispatch, the situation was broadcast through sirens and central announcements, followed by swift and accurate control and response by the self-defense fire brigade and the emergency rescue control team.

On the 31st of last month, a fire truck water spray drill was conducted during an emergency rescue comprehensive training at Lotte Premium Outlet Paju Branch.
[Photo by Lotte Department Store].

According to the distribution industry on the 3rd, distribution facilities with large stores such as department stores and outlets regularly conduct joint civil-government comprehensive drills simulating real situations to prevent major disasters such as fires, while strengthening safety management by providing regular training on emergency response to employees.

Lotte Department Store has safety management manuals for major disasters and conducts periodic drills and training for employees. Legal fire safety training is conducted quarterly for all employees, and an annual joint civil-government comprehensive evacuation drill is also held. Elevator rescue drills (twice a month), flood and typhoon response drills (once a month from June to October), and emergency evacuation drills (twice a year) are also conducted. Lotte Department Store stated, "Given the nature of multi-use facilities where large crowds can gather, we plan to actively respond to fire prevention by introducing a deep learning-based AI fire detection system," adding, "We have also developed and expanded the distribution of a device that can directly spray water under electric vehicles in collaboration with a specialized fire equipment manufacturer across all business sites."

They particularly emphasized strict adherence to preventive measures against "mass crowd accidents" due to new openings and large events. They focus on prevention management by preparing crowd density management and congestion prevention checklists, as well as safety management deployment charts to respond to various variables that may occur on site.

Shinsegae Department Store also regularly conducts disaster prevention drills for fire and crisis situations at each business site and prepares crisis response manuals to prepare for emergencies. The manual for fire and disaster situations consists of three stages: 1) internal and external situation dissemination, 2) customer evacuation broadcast, and 3) guiding customers and partner employees to evacuate by floor managers. Centered on the head office safety management team and at least two safety managers assigned per store, they share guidelines on how to act during disasters and conduct employee training more than twice a year. As part of anti-terrorism measures, employees in response departments regularly conduct terrorism response drills annually. They prepare and respond with various scenarios, including mastering rapid internal and external situation dissemination, action guidelines to prevent casualties among customers and employees, and establishing quick communication systems with related institutions such as military units.

Shinsegae Simon Premium Outlet also regularly prepares for emergencies at each store, including joint drills with related agencies. Training includes the use of fire extinguishers and hydrants, evacuation procedures in case of safety accidents within the business site, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) practice, and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage dissemination. Each store also conducts its own training and education once a month. A Shinsegae Simon official said, "The goal is for all employees to respond quickly even if an emergency occurs," adding, "we have equipped all stores with AED devices to prepare for emergencies."

Hyundai Department Store and Hyundai Premium Outlet have strengthened their safety and health systems following the fire accident at Hyundai Outlet Daejeon. They conduct response drills for crises such as fire, leakage, and earthquakes more than once a month, and support employees responsible for safety tasks in obtaining professional certifications such as industrial safety engineer and fire safety manager. The company stated, "Through the operation of a safety accident recurrence prevention process (checking accident cases, analyzing causes, sharing company-wide to prevent recurrence), we actively establish and share improvement measures based on accident cases by revising our operational guidelines."

A distribution industry official said, "Safety accidents in densely populated facilities are best prevented, and rapid response when they occur is equally important. Through regular employee training and education, we ensure that employees can acquire response skills for any unforeseen situations," adding, "We emphasize the importance of safety management at each store and are also strengthening related investments."