Risk Assessment of Warehousing Storage Hazards : Focusing on Layers of Control via the Bow Tie Method = 물류창고 위험성 평가 : 보우타이 기법을 활용한 통제 계층 중심으로

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The modern warehouse, evolving into an automated logistics hub, presents increasingly complex occupational safety hazards. While Risk Assessment is pivotal for safety management, national frameworks exhibit distinct characteristics. This study aims to improve South Korean warehouse safety by analyzing its practices against international standards.
This research employed a qualitative case study methodology using extensive secondary data, including reports of two catastrophic Korean warehouse accidents (Anseong fall and Icheon fire). The Bowtie methodology was applied for detailed accident analysis, identifying hazards, threats, top events, consequences, and critical preventive and mitigative barriers. The systematic derivation of these barriers was guided by the internationally recognized Hierarchy of Controls framework. Following this, quantitative risk assessment was performed for both scenarios utilizing the frequency-severity method to comparatively classify and prioritize public risk perceptions against theoretically derived residual risks after applying proposed control measures.
Findings reveal significant conceptual differences: the Korean term '위험성평가' broadly integrates risk reduction, while international 'risk assessment' (which includes risk estimation as an analytical phase) separates it. This discrepancy contributed to critical barrier failures in the investigated accidents. The Quantitative Risk Assessment vividly demonstrated that publicly perceived risks (Anseong: Critical-Likely; Icheon: Catastrophic-Likely) could be significantly reduced to more manageable residual risks (Anseong: Marginal-Occasional; Icheon: Critical-Occasional) through effective, Hierarchy of Controls-based interventions. The recent abolition of the explicit risk estimation process in South Korean national guidelines further exacerbates the systemic failure to manage residual risks. Human factors also critically impacted safety.
This study clarifies conceptual ambiguities, highlights the importance of residual risk management, and strongly advocates for the reinstatement of a mandated risk estimation process within South Korean safety legislation. It offers practical policy and operational recommendations to enhance barrier resilience and effective risk management within South Korea, aligning with international best practices.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
• 1.1 Effective Safety Management and Risk Assessment 1
• 1.2 Challenges in Global Safety Frameworks 3
• 1.3 Diverse Workforce and Safety Issues in Global Context 4
• 1.4 Research Objectives 6
• 1.5 Research Questions 7
• 1.6 Significance of the Study 10
• 1.7 Scope of the Study 13
• CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 14
• 2.1 Changing Warehousing Landscape and Safety Challenges 14
• 2.2 Major Hazards and Risk Reduction Strategies 17
• 2.2.1 Fall Prevention and Control 17
• 2.2.2 Powered Industrial Trucks and Material Handling Safety 19
• 2.2.3 Electrical Hazards and Lockout/Tagout Procedures 21
• 2.2.4 Confined Space Entry Protocols 23
• 2.2.5 Hot Work and Fire Safety Management 24
• 2.2.6 Hazard Communication and Hearing Conservation 25
• 2.3 Theoretical Foundations of Risk Management and Assessment 27
• 2.3.1 Risk Management and ISO 31000 28
• 2.3.2 Risk Assessment in International Standards 29
• 2.3.3 The Korean '위험성평가' Concept 32
• 2.3.4 Terminological Discrepancies and Implications 35
• 2.4 Risk Assessment and Control Methodologies 38
• 2.4.1 Hazard Identification Techniques 38
• 2.4.2 Risk Assessment Techniques 40
• 2.4.3 Hierarchy of Controls and Risk Reduction 41
• 2.5 Comparative Regulatory Frameworks: South Korea vs. U.S. 44
• 2.5.1 Regulatory Bodies and Approaches 44
• 2.5.2 Hazard-Specific Regulations 46
• 2.6 Human Factors in Safety Management 50
• 2.6.1 Language Barriers in Safety Communication 50
• 2.6.2 Cultural Influences on Safety & Risk Behavior 51
• 2.6.3 Training for Diverse Workforces 52
• 2.6.4 Communication and Training in Risk Mitigation 53
• 2.7 Summary and Implications 55
• CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY AND ANALYSIS 57
• 3.1 Research Design 57
• 3.2 Data Collection 58
• 3.2.1 South Korean Regulations and Policies 59
• 3.2.2 United States Regulations and Policies 61
• 3.2.3 International Standards and Academic Literature 62
• 3.2.4 Accident Case Studies for Bowtie Analysis 63
• 3.3 Data Analysis 65
• 3.3.1 Systematic Content Analysis 65
• 3.3.2 Comparative Analysis Framework 67
• 3.3.3 Quantitative Risk Assessment Using Frequency-Severity Method 71
• 3.4 Ethical Considerations 72
• CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS 73
• 4.1 Comparative Analysis: Commonalities and Divergences 73
• 4.1.1 Convergent Goals and Shared Principles 73
• 4.1.2 Divergent Interpretations and Structural Differences 74
• 4.2 Human Factors and Safety Management 75
• 4.2.1 Impact of Language Barriers 76
• 4.2.2 Cultural Influences on Safety 76
• 4.2.3 Addressing Training Disparities 77
• 4.3 Risk Assessment: Korean Case Studies 78
• 4.3.1 Anseong Warehouse Fall Accident (2022) 80
• 4.3.2 Icheon Warehouse Fire Accident (2020) 89
• 4.3.3 Comparative Analysis of Case Studies 96
• CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 106
• 5.1 Summary of Key Findings 106
• 5.2 Contributions of the Study 110
• 5.3 Limitations of the Study 112
• 5.4 Recommendations 113
• 5.4.1 Bridging Conceptual Gaps in Risk Assessment 114
• 5.4.2 Optimizing Regulations and Best Practices 115
• 5.4.3 Mitigating Human Factors 116
• 5.4.4 Reinstatement and Integration of Risk Assessment Process 117
• 5.4.5 Technology for Enhanced Safety 119
• 5.5 Future Research Directions 120
• REFERENCES 124
• ABSTRACT 133
• (초 록) 136