We are vulnerable to environmental disasters and threats anywhere and anytime. It may seem like we live in a safe environment, but past incidents tell us that we are often helpless. As the Sewol ferry disaster of April suggests, we are not too safeguarded against those hazards; some of us are ignorant of them, and some of us are even willing to sacrifice our safety for our interests. This raises the question about safety at Korea University (KU)—are students and faculty safe at KU?
 
Fortunately, it seems that we are. KU has its own team that ensures the safety of its students and faculty: the KU Safety and Security Team. Created in 2004, it has a history of only ten years, but its expertise is by far the best amongst university-led safety management teams.
 
One of its main focuses is managing the safety of the environment facilities, such as those of waste water treatment, quarantine, and newly-constructed buildings. It also administers water tanks on campus, deals with problems of soil pollution, and disposes of waste reagents and organic solvents.
 
In addition, the Safety and Security Team ensures that students and faculty can safely conduct experiments in their research laboratories. It does regular safety check-ups to prevent any accidents. When an accident occurs though, it is up to the Safety and Security Team to determine the cause of the incident and deal with the aftermath. It also carries out monthly online safety education on the 4th of each month for those involved in lab research projects. This includes the 4,000 graduate students of the science campus.
 
So far, the Safety and Security Team has been doing its best to guarantee the safety of KU students and faculty. It conducts regular check-ups of campus facilities, including the gymnasium and auditoriums. In June, it will carry out a thorough safety examination of approximately 500 laboratories on campus. Furthermore, the Safety and Security Team is also planning on installing new flammable storage safety cabinets in labs and emergency tool kits elsewhere on campus where fires have been frequent.
 
   
 
 
“We have created a ‘scenario’ for students that tell them how to act when an accident occurs at the lab,” says Kwon Oh Suk from the Safety and Security Team. “We want to respond as quickly and effectively to the incident so that we can minimize the damage.” The manual is currently available on the website of the Safety and Security Team.
 
A student at the College of Science, Jung Yoon Hee (’13, Biotechnology) says, “When a student in the other class spilled some hazardous solution at the lab, the Safety and Security Team took care of that.” She says she feels much safer at her lab knowing that there is a team that ensures her safety.
 

At its best, KU’s Safety and Security Team is protecting the students and faculty by managing the environmental facilities and research laboratories. That fact may not be so obvious to those that attend KU, but the Safety and Security Team is what safeguards them from dangers on campus. 

 

 

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