<Anchor>



From 2015 to 2019, more than 5,800 people were victims of forklift accidents. Among them, 173 people died, an average of more than 30 a year. To see if there is any way to prevent such a repeating accident, we listened to the voices of the field.



This is reporter Jo Yoon-ha.



<Reporter>



Veteran forklift drivers who closely watched the accident video point out problems one by one.



[Mr. A / Forklift driver: There are cases when the straps are loosened or loosened while loading and unloading. Then the workers have to come and tighten it again... .] It is a



pity that it is the basic among the basics to firmly fix the padding.



[Forklift driver: Even though the foot is bent. (What, what happened?) Doesn't it look like the overcoat is sticking out? I see that it is longer than a truck?]



[Mr. B/Forklift driver: (When the foot is fixed) You have to hit it like this with a hammer or a hard tool and lift it up to get it out. If you don't take care of it too much, and if you use it for a long time, the hair pin may break and fall out like this.] If the



signal is not placed, the risk of work increases that much.



[Forklift driver: It is not what a truck driver does. The truck driver is there to help. (The site itself doesn't have a signal.) So it's a lumber mill. (It must be. By law, it must be there. Labor costs are incurred.)]



It is not uncommon for there to be no signal, but the role of the signal is very important because forklifts have a large blind spot. 



[I can see half. I don't see it. I can only see the hand.]



If you neglect the safety management of the work process, such as strapping, and there is no signal, it will eventually lead to an accident.



Most accidents happen to save time and money.



[Mr. B / Forklift driver: But in the same case, it is very rare to be able to signal. It's a bit difficult for a small site or something like that. I've also heard people say that in the case of a signal-super, labor costs cannot be reported... .]



[Lee Je-hyeon/Forklift Driver: Small Sites Because it's a race against time in these places, there are probably a lot of cases where it's a little rushed. Because it's a cost issue. I have to pay for two hours to finish in one hour... .] The



more dangerous the job, the more proficiency of the forklift driver is important, and the less expensive option is often chosen on site.



[C/Forklift Driver: They don’t actually drive and they just get a license, so they have no experience.]



[A/Forklift Driver: They are not professional forklifters, they just need it for their work, so they want to save on forklift costs. Getting this off and on... .]



[Park Yun-gyu/Professor of Occupational Safety and Health Education Institute: The level of safety management is the level of thinking of the CEO. There is still a lack of safety awareness. Because we do not know how the Occupational Safety and Health Act works, there are too many people who do not even know that there is occupational safety education.]



If you try to shift the responsibility for the accident to the forklift driver while ignoring the structural problem, the unfortunate sacrifice cannot be prevented.



(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Lee Seung-hee)  



▶ Loading and unloading in an instant...

Only forklift drivers are punished