Union Urges Comprehensive Safety Inspection
Cites "Carbon Copy" of 2019 Miryang Accident
Calls for Accountability and Measures to Prevent Recurrence
The Korean Railway Workers' Union urged on August 19 that a comprehensive safety inspection involving workers who are most familiar with on-site conditions is necessary, following an accident in Cheongdo-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, where a Mugunghwa train struck track workers, resulting in two deaths and five others seriously or critically injured. The union stated, "No more makeshift solutions can prevent a second or third accident."
The union pointed out that this accident is "a carbon copy of the 2019 Miryang Station accident." In October 2019, near Miryang Station in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, one worker was killed and two others were injured when they were struck by a train while performing routine maintenance. Maintenance work conducted on tracks that remain open to train traffic, without a full line closure, is referred to as routine maintenance.
The union stated, "After that accident, so-called 'death routine maintenance' conducted on operating lines was halted, but maintenance work along the tracks outside of designated danger zones has continued as routine maintenance, which ultimately led to today's fatalities."
On the 19th, an accident occurred where a Mugunghwa train struck seven workers who were working near the tracks. Police, firefighters, and Korail officials are investigating the accident near the Gyeongbu Line railroad close to the Cheongdo Bullfighting Stadium in Samsin-ri, Hwayang-eup, Cheongdo-gun, Gyeongbuk Province. Photo by Yonhap News
The union also criticized management, saying, "During the day, work on operating lines is done with the tracks closed, but adjacent lines remain open to train traffic without any safety measures in place."
They added, "Last year's Guro Station accident is a representative case of a collision with a train operating on an adjacent line, and only after the accident did Korail take measures to close adjacent lines as well."
The union emphasized, "Accidents cannot be prevented with patchwork responses," and insisted, "A comprehensive safety inspection must be carried out with the participation of workers who know the site best."
They concluded, "We will make every effort to identify the fundamental causes of this foreseeable man-made disaster, hold those responsible accountable, and establish measures to prevent recurrence."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
