A Message from an Industrial Safety Expert with Over 30 Years of Experience
Publication of "Entrance Theory: The Path to Industrial Safety through Prevention"
When setting out on a journey, accidents rarely come to mind. Before starting a task, one seldom considers its risks. This is the essence of the "Entrance Theory." From its title, the book delivers a striking message.
The long-standing question in Korean society surrounding industrial accidents converges into a single sentence: "Was the accident truly unavoidable?"
Gong Heungdu, CEO of the Korea Creative Safety Institute, who has worked on the front lines of industrial safety for over 30 years, has compiled his answer to this question in a single book.
In his new release, "Entrance Theory: The Path to Industrial Safety through Prevention," he delivers a clear message that the only solution to reducing industrial accidents is "prevention in advance, not post-incident measures."
A book has been published that examines the current state of industrial safety in South Korea from multiple perspectives. The new release, "Entrance Theory: The Solution to Industrial Safety," written by Gong Heungdu, a veteran in the field of safety and health, elaborately explains that industrial accidents should be perceived not as something to be handled after the fact, but as something to be prevented beforehand.
In the preface, he writes, "The question of whether accidents can be avoided ultimately comes down to when we choose to begin prioritizing safety."
After completing his service as an ROTC officer, Gong joined the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, a public institution under the Ministry of Labor, where he managed major workplaces in the Changwon, Busan, and Gyeongnam regions. He was responsible for accident investigations, risk assessments, regulatory administration, and advisory work for many years.
He is someone who has witnessed firsthand how industrial sites lead to accidents, what risks are repeated, and why the same tragedies are structurally reproduced. Through his extensive experience, he has arrived at the principle that "industrial safety ultimately begins at the entrance."
The "Entrance Theory," which is also the title of the book, is the concept of defining the "entrance" where risks are identified and controlling that entrance to significantly reduce the likelihood of accidents.
Gong states, "An accident is not a result, but merely the final page of a process," and adds, "Dozens of warning signs appear in the earlier stages, but we miss a significant number of them."
The book is composed of three parts and eleven chapters. Part one concisely and realistically summarizes the concept of industrial safety and the structure of industrial accidents in Korea. It covers trends in industrial accident statistics, characteristics of Korea’s industrial safety system, and the structural limitations of accident investigations, pointing out that "the long-standing system focused on regulation and compensation has weakened preventive administration."
Part two introduces prevention systems that are actually applied in industrial settings. It discusses the fundamental purpose of risk assessment systems, the key elements of Process Safety Management (PSM), and strategies to enhance the prevention capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises.
He emphasizes, "Small and medium-sized enterprises are not incapable of being safe; rather, they are trapped in a structure that fails to provide them with the support to be safe."
Part three explores the future of industrial safety, including safety culture, ESG management, and digital transformation. It particularly notes that the emergence of AI and IoT-based prevention solutions is fundamentally changing the safety paradigm.
The book also features major disaster cases, such as the collapse of Seongsu Bridge, the collapse of Sampoong Department Store, and the Guui Station screen door accident. The author states, "Every major disaster was preceded by a warning." He explains that disasters occurred because cracks-such as missed inspections, ignored procedures, excessive outsourcing, and disregard for risks-were not blocked at the entrance.
The author’s critical perspective does not stop at simple criticism. During his time at the agency, serving as head of the Eastern Gyeongnam Branch and the Busan Regional Headquarters, he made various efforts to bridge the gap between the field and administration.
He stresses, "Regulation and support are not opposing concepts," and explains through various cases that regulatory administration works more effectively when prevention is placed at its core. His credentials-including obtaining an industrial safety engineer license, completing the Public Leadership Program at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Administration, and consulting for global companies-add weight to his analysis. He currently serves as CEO of the Korea Creative Safety Institute and as Chief Advisor for Maot, a digital safety solutions company, continuing his interest in technology-driven safety innovation.
He is also active as a committee member in the field of safety management for global companies such as S-OIL, Hanwha Ocean, GS Engineering & Construction, Hanwha Engineering & Construction, Dongkuk CM, and Shinhwa Steel. Additionally, he serves as an advisor and consultant for several construction companies and mid-sized firms in the metal and chemical industries. Public institutions such as LH, Korea Environment Corporation, Busan Port Authority, Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation, Busan Transportation Corporation, and Gyeongnam Credit Guarantee Foundation also benefit from his expertise.
In the foreword, Gong writes, "Safety is not just a regulation or obligation, but a promise to return our loved ones home safely at the end of the day." He emphasizes, "No measure taken after an accident can be a complete solution. Prevention is not a cost, but a survival strategy, and it is the most essential competitiveness that Korea’s industrial sites must possess to reach global standards."
The publisher assessed that this book is structured to be widely read not only by field experts but also by corporate managers, public institution employees, policymakers, and general readers. While dealing with the specialized field of industrial safety, the writing remains straightforward, and the balance between field cases and structural analysis aids understanding.
Korean society has repeatedly experienced a vicious cycle in which, after every accident, the cause is sought, but as time passes, the same type of accident occurs again.
In this book, Gong Heungdu emphasizes that "our society must now shift its perspective from post-accident recovery to early prevention before accidents occur." His "Entrance Theory" goes beyond the technical realm of industrial safety to provide a practical and actionable answer to Korea’s long-standing question: "Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes?"
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