Safety frigidity: Living with “no sense of safety”

Aftermath of fire incident at ECC

A fire broke out in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit on floor B6 of ECC on March 31, 2:05 p.m. Appropriate evacuation procedures were taken to minimize any possible casualties, and approximately four weeks later, the school is still working towards uncovering the exact cause of the fire.

After the incident, access control into and out of ECC was removed as of 4:50 p.m. However, students and faculty were permitted to use Gates 1 and 10 as well as the sunken elevator of the building only to collect belongings and exit due to residual smoke.

From April 1 to 2, all lectures and events scheduled to be held in ECC were canceled due to safety checks following the fire. Access to lecture halls, seminar rooms, reading rooms, and lounges was prohibited, with entry into the building only allowed for parking purposes.

The week following the fire, from April 3 to 8, 12 lecture rooms on floors B1 and B2 of the building remained closed. Classes usually held in the rooms were temporarily moved online for safety reasons.

On April 24, Seodaemun-gu conducted safety inspections regarding fire protection systems for possible fire incidents in ECC. The inspection process consisted of alarm tests and emergency broadcast systems, automatic fire detection systems, and evacuation guidance lights.

Furthermore, for students who suffered psychological trauma due to the fire, a fire- related mental safety program was conducted as part of a group education program by the Korea Institute of Educational Facility Safety on April 27 at the Student Union. The program consisted of understanding disaster trauma responses in educational facilities, providing psychological safety techniques, and offering guidance on supportive communication methods, with pre- registrations submitted via email between April 13 and 19.

What is safety frigidity?

The Sampoong Department Store collapse in 1995, Sewol ferry incident in 2014, and the Itaewon crush incident in 2022 are high-profile accidents in South Korea caused by safety frigidity.

Safety frigidity refers to a condition in which one does not take the risk of an accident seriously, as the possibility of exposure to danger or awareness of possible accidents decreases.

Although several notable accidents caused by safety frigidity highlighted the importance of being vigilant about safety measures, accidents still occur across South Korea.

A survey by the National Fire Agency (NFA) in 2023 shows that there has been a total of 2,368 fires in crowded facilities over the past five years, with an average of five deaths and 57 injuries each year. Among the crowded facilities, entertainment spots which open late at night are more at risk of accidents, as illegal building renovations are frequent and crackdowns are difficult. In turn, several fires at entertainment spots in many domestic cities were reported.

According to an investigation by the NFA in 2019, approximately half of the nation’s large entertainment establishments were not in proper compliance with fire safety laws, and therefore were at risk of fire accidents. An investigation of 179 large entertainment establishments revealed more than 750 violations, and in some cases, the receiver of the automatic fire detection equipment was turned off. Also, there were cases of sprinkleralarm valves being locked, preventing the alarm from going off in the event of a fire. In other cases, broken fire doors were left unattended, andequipments were piled up in front of emergency exits, making it impossible to evacuate in an emergency. A case of replacing a metal fire door with a glass door was also reported.

Safety frigidity can also be seen on crowded trains during rush hour. According to a study by Big Data Korea based on datasets provided by Seoul Metro, out of the 9.6 million registered resident population, an average population of 4.5 million got on and off subway trains every day in 2021. The data explains that approximately half of the population in Seoul uses subway trains every day. Due to the high subway-dependency rate in South Korea, it is inevitable that the trains are always crowded in rush hour, leading to both minor and major accidents.

Seoul Metro, a local public corporation under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, manages eight subway lines in Seoul. Although there are no statistics regarding accidents that rise from the excessively crowded trains in rush hour, there have been 140 customer complaints regarding door entrapment between January 2022 and April 2023. The corporation added that there are various accidents that can happen on subway trains, including door entrapment and falling due to sudden stops.

Although there are various concerns regarding the safety insensitivity of the citizens, the corporation stated that the company’s efforts to prevent accidents are also significant.

“Seoul Metro has been promoting accident prevention through destination bulletins, station announcements, and safety stickers,” the public relations department official said. “Additionally, we have deployed a ‘Senior Elevator Safety Team’ to prevent accidents on elevators and escalators, as well as safety helpers at severely congested stations during rush hours.”

The official also emphasized the importance of integration between the corporation and passengers to resolve safety insensitivity issues.

“The subway, which is a means of transportation for more than 6 million people every day, requires citizens’ voluntary safety awareness,” the official said. “In line with the efforts of the corporation, we hope to create an environment where the citizens can use the subway safely by following safety rules and being aware of their own safety.”

Just as public transportation runs the risk of accidents due to the large number of passengers, accidents are also frequent in universities, especially in laboratories. In 2019, an explosion that made headlines occurred while mixing chemical samples at Kyungpook National University’s chemical laboratory. As a result, the laboratory burned down and four researchers were injured. The incident brought public attention to the need for efforts to prevent accidents in university laboratories, and triggered the revision of the subsections of the laboratory safety act. However, for the last four years, accidents have continued to occur during experiments at universities such as Seoul National University, Andong National University, and Ajou University.

To find out more about the status quo of university students’ thoughts on safety, Ewha Voice conducted a survey of 75 Ewha students from April 24 to 30.

When asked about accidents in school laboratories, 36.4 percent of the respondents shared that they had either experienced or witnessed accidents in the school laboratory. Additionally, 39.4 percent of the respondents expressed that the facilities are sufficient to guarantee the safety of the students when asked about the status quo of safety education and devices in the school laboratories.

Oh Seo Hyun, a sophomore majoring in life sciences, currently takes a biology course including experiments related to protein separation and purification.

Although Oh uses various reagents and electrical devices for her course, she has not yet witnessed any accidents in the laboratory as the teaching assistants provide sufficient caution and methods to prevent accidents.

“To take part in experiment classes, students are required to complete laboratory safety training through CyberCampus,” Oh said. “Also, students are required to take every process especially seriously to prevent accidents.”

Lee Minhwa, a freshman majoring in bio health convergence at her university, currently takes an experiment course related to biology.

Lee also has not yet witnessed any accidents in the laboratory, but she is well aware of the possibilities. Her professor makes the students strictly follow the basic safety rules by deducting points when they are not maintained.

“Buildings with laboratories have more sensitive fire alarms compared to other buildings, as invisible gasses can also cause big accidents,” Lee described. “These devices, along with required courses from Center for Safety Education, seem to be some measures to prevent accidents in the laboratory.”

Seoyeon Jeong, a sophomore majoring in material science and engineering at her university, took an experimental course related to chemistry last year.

Jeong reminisced her experience of being involved in a small explosion accident while experimenting on liquefied carbon dioxide in a Tygon tube. She and her classmates were relieved that they had been observing at a distance and cleaned up the surroundings in advance, as not doing so may have led to a serious accident.

Although there are various measures that explain the situations or causes of accidents, Jeong believes that training on how to cope with the actual accidents is insufficient, leading students to be frightened by even minor accidents. She also mentioned that most students seem to be insensitive to accidents related to harmful substances that do not cause immediate injuries, including radioactive substances and chemicals.

“It is important that students not let their guards down immediately after finishing experiments,” Jeong said. “They should make sure to take care of the post-experiment process as much as they do during the actual experiment.”

The reality of safety education in South Korea

Laboratories are places where students are likely to experience safety issues due to the presence of experimental equipment and chemicals. However, beyond accidents confined to the laboratory, schools in general are at high risk of accidents. To prevent accidents in school, the Safety Team of Ewha is undertaking a variety of measures.

According to Hwang Hyunjoo, the laboratory safety environment manager from the Safety Team, most accidents in the laboratory are caused by not wearing protective gear. Specifically, burns due to chemical leakage, injuries such as cuts caused by shards of glass, and mouse bites during animal testing are the types of accidents that occur most often.

To protect students, the Safety Team is conducting statutory laboratory safety education. This includes information on laboratory safety management such as an explanation of harmful factors in the laboratory, how to handle protective equipment and safety devices, and an explanation on safety signs in the laboratory. Hwang stated that it is hard to say that this form of education is highly effective for undergraduates as it is conducted via online videos, but as it is a mandatory step, the Safety Team is making major efforts for better education.

In order to prevent accidents during experiments, the emergency situation room provides 24-hour accident response and emergency dispatch services. Moreover, for prevention of various accidents throughout the school, fire drills are conducted every year, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training is to be conducted soon.

Although school-level efforts to prevent accidents are important, Hwang stressed that efforts by individual students and professors are essential.

“Safety comes from meticulous attention,” Hwang emphasized. “Students should always keep in mind that accidents can happen to anyone, and be sure to wear protective gear when entering the laboratory, not just for grades or others’ safety, but for their own safety. Also, if any kind of emergency situation happens, please contact 02-3277-5000, the emergency situation room.”

Furthermore, safety training center institutions established to supply comprehensive and non-discriminatory safety experience education opportunities offer solutions for safety frigidity too.

Kang Insuk, educational researcher at Gyeongju Safety Center, explained the historical significance of the establishment of safety centers.

“Major safety incidents like the Daegu subway fire and the Sewol ferry incident led to national demand for hands-on safety education,” Kang said.

Since then, the construction of safety training centers has begun. Gyeongju Safety Center was one of the centers reviewed for construction. Its main objective is to operate safety education programs for students, faculty, and local residents.

As an example, Kang mentioned the student safety education experience programs operated by the center which provides 25 different safety education sessions in five safety departments: life safety, traffic safety, disaster safety, first aid, and respect for life. Likewise, the Saturday family safety program at the center has been accepting reservations without regional restrictions to expand opportunities.

Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education Student Safety Training Center provides safety education for students through experiential learning during school years. Kim Min Kyoung, inspector of the center, stressed the importance of raising safety sensitivity in students.

Kim mentioned that the center focuses on evenly covering all areas of safety, including safety on public transportation, disasters caused by fire, and traffic accidents. As the age groups of students vary from infancy to adolescence, the center has various degrees of safety accident scenarios that match each age group.

Additionally, the center provides a metaverse safety education system called Safety School. In Incheon, there is only one comprehensive safety experience center, which means there are students and schools that are too far away to physically visit the center. The application was developed specifically to ensure that students can learn to respond to safety accidents and study the dangers of crisis situations through online classes.

“The point is that students should have the opportunity to at least indirectly experience safety education,” Kim asserted. “Learning safety from a young age will hopefully instill safety awareness.”

Meanwhile, Daegu Safety Theme Park hosts safety education targeting younger generations. Nam Jaegu, publicist at the theme park, shared the institution’s plans to incorporate trending cultures into education.

“What safety experience suits my MBTI?” is an online test developed by the institution that recommends the safety experience users should take based on their MBTI type. The park also developed its own MBTI animal characters, and took various marketing efforts such as posting cartoons on social media and making souvenirs to create natural publicity.

Nam hopes that the timely safety content will interest more of the MZ generation in safety education. According to Nam, a total of 1.9 million citizens visited the park in April 2023 to participate in the park’s events including outdoor concerts with related safety themes.

“Rather than just hearing safety guidelines in the media, having direct safety experience is a hundred times more effective,” Nam noted.

The park’s slogan, “We learn safety from disasters. Disasters come again when they are forgotten,” emphasizes the need to remember and participate in safety education, as it will help to not only save oneself, but other precious lives as well.

How is safety education in other countries?

Japan has a long history of earthquake preparedness due to its geographical location. The country has implemented various safety measures to ensure that citizens are ready for natural disasters. Safety education is an essential part of school curricula, where students are taught ways to respond in case of an earthquake, such as to take cover under their desks. Governmental agencies conduct regular earthquake drills to ensure that citizens are adequately prepared for such an event.

Safety education in Greece is also an important topic, particularly in the fields of traffic safety and fire prevention. Although there are no nationwide initiatives or programs in place, there are various efforts made by local governments, schools, and organizations to promote safety education.

One area of focus is traffic safety, particularly in cities with high levels of congestion and pedestrian traffic. Local governments and organizations often hold awareness campaigns and educational programs aimed at drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to encourage safe behavior on the roads.

In terms of fire prevention, there are regulations in place that require public buildings and commercial properties to have fire extinguishers and other safety equipment, and to conduct regular fire drills. Additionally, schools often provide fire safety education to students, teaching them about the dangers of fires and how to prevent them.

Greece has also recently introduced new policies to address the issue of railway safety following train collisions. The government has requested a railway safety inspection from the European Union, and as a result, the country has introduced new policies to improve railway safety. These policies include safety education programs that educate citizens on the dangers of railway accidents and how to react in case of emergency.

In the United States, there is a comprehensive system in place to teach people of all ages about potential dangers and how to avoid them, with a focus on both prevention and preparedness.

One of the key areas of safety education in the U.S. is traffic safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides resources and programs to educate drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists about safe behavior on the road, including the importance of wearing seat belts, avoiding distracted driving, and sharing the road with others.

Fire safety is another important focus of safety education in the U.S. Fire departments and other organizations often hold fire drills and provide information on how to prevent fires at home, including the importance of smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and escape plans.

Compared to these countries, South Korea has been criticized for its lack of safety education. Despite the country’s rapid economic growth and development, it has not made significant progress in improving safety education.

“It is true that the current safety education in schools has limits in practical crisis response,” said Han Jong Keuk, a researcher from Sungshin Women’s University School Safety Research Institute.

Regarding improvements in the operation of safety and disaster preparedness training in schools, Han noted that it is difficult in practice to conduct disaster preparedness training that involves all members of the university, including students, professors, and staff. Therefore, most universities are currently conducting disaster preparedness training only for their employees.

When talking about training, most people tend to only think of operations- based exercise where response actions are practiced. However, Han emphasized that disaster preparedness training also includes discussion-based exercises such as seminars, workshops, and table exercises. Thus, when it is difficult to conduct operations-based exercises, universities need to make efforts by holding seminars to inform university members of their accident response plans, hosting workshops on safety and disaster management, and conducting table exercises based on virtual scenarios.

Furthermore, Han stated that to address risk indifference, the risk-assessment DNA possessed through evolution needs to be awakened. To do so, he argues for the active adoption and activation of risk education to cultivate a sense of risk ownership. This can be considered an essential skill for modern individuals who must live with various unpredictable risk factors for a safe and healthy life.