Following the death of a Korea Railroad Corporation employee during freight vehicle management at Uiwang Station on August 29, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is taking steps to create a safer working environment.
On September 9, the ministry announced plans to prevent future accidents by expanding the wireless control vehicle management system, improving work procedures, and enhancing on-site safety management.
The fatal incident occurred at 7:20 a.m. at Uiwang Station on the Gyeongbu Line in Gyeonggi Province, where a Korail employee was struck by a train while performing switching operations. Investigations revealed that a wireless control switching system was not in place at the time.
The wireless control vehicle management system allows workers to remotely control vehicles using wireless devices, eliminating communication errors between the engineer and the worker, thereby fostering a safer working environment.
On the same day, the head of the railway bureau held a meeting with Korea Railroad Corporation officials to review the status of the wireless control vehicle management system's implementation and the safety management of vehicle management operations.
During the review, safety enhancement measures to prevent accidents during vehicle management were discussed. Plans include further expanding the wireless control vehicle management system to major work sites and utilizing advanced technologies such as AI video analysis to minimize worker exposure to risks. Discussions also included ensuring that workers can operate safely from outside the locomotive.
The ministry will deploy railway safety inspectors to conduct special inspections at key vehicle management sites and will review the railway safety management system in collaboration with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS). Any issues identified on-site will be promptly addressed, and the results of the inspections will inform a comprehensive review of work procedures and safety management systems.
Kim Tae-byeong, head of the railway bureau, stated, "We must not allow repeated fatal accidents during vehicle management operations. We will thoroughly investigate the causes of the Uiwang Station accident and incorporate any identified deficiencies in systems and procedures, as well as on-site risks, into the railway safety enhancement measures to be established in the second half of this year."
He added, "The reliance on individual judgment by workers must be fundamentally improved to create a safe working environment, which is the essence of safety measures. We will develop comprehensive railway safety enhancement measures, including the expansion of the wireless control vehicle management system, improvements to work procedures, reinforcement of safety facilities, and enhanced on-site safety management."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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