Deployment of Patrol Vessels in High-Risk Waters and Promotion of Coastal Fisheries Act
Emergency Safety Inspections at Construction Sites and Workplaces
Expansion of High-Performance Wildfire Suppression Vehicles for Wildfire Prevention
On the 21st, the People Power Party and the government announced a comprehensive plan to strengthen management and supervision, identifying safety negligence as the cause of recent fatal accidents including the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster, the Muhak Girls' High School and Busan Banyan Tree Hotel construction site fires, and ship capsizing incidents.
Kim Sang-hoon, chairman of the People Power Party's Policy Committee, told reporters after the National Safety Inspection Party-Government Council held at the National Assembly that they decided to establish enhanced response measures to prevent fishing vessel accidents, various fires, aviation safety incidents, and thawing season accidents.
Earlier, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, in his opening remarks at the party-government council, said, "There is a saying that all safety accidents are ultimately man-made disasters," and urged strengthening management and supervision, stating, "If humans had been a little more meticulous in prevention, the damage could have been reduced." Chairman Kim also mentioned, "The criticism that safety negligence is the cause must be taken more painfully by the ruling party and government responsible for the safety of the people."
First, to prevent fishing vessel accidents, the government decided to implement emergency measures such as managing fleet formation and port entry and exit during weather warnings, and forward deployment of patrol vessels in high-risk accident areas. Additionally, it will mandate the constant wearing of life jackets and expand safety supervisors for fishing vessel crews. In particular, inflatable life jackets will be supplied free of charge to fishing crew members, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will activate a task force (TF) to reduce human casualties.
Regarding aviation safety, the government plans to improve azimuth facilities (localizers) at seven airports nationwide, continue airport facility improvements, strengthen bird strike prevention activities, and implement management measures for in-flight auxiliary batteries as part of ongoing aviation safety measures.
To prevent fires at construction sites and other locations, an urgent inspection will be conducted by the end of this month on 1,147 sites including new cold storage and refrigeration warehouse construction and finishing process construction sites to check compliance with fire safety measures. The government will also implement spring large-scale wildfire prevention and early suppression measures, including restricting entry to high-risk wildfire areas and operating rapid response teams for nighttime wildfire suppression.
Regarding prevention of thawing season safety accidents, 1,700 safety-vulnerable construction sites will be selected for safety inspections, and a 'Comprehensive Construction Safety Plan' will be prepared covering fall accident prevention, underground safety improvements, and management of construction personnel, supervisors, and subcontractors. Additionally, supervision and inspections will be conducted at 3,000 construction sites, and support for smart safety equipment will be provided.
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