Another Fatal Accident on Garbage Truck Footboard Leaves Cleaner in 20s Dead

[Anchor]

A young sanitation worker in his 20s has died after being struck by a following truck while riding on the rear footboard of a garbage collection vehicle in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Labor groups argue that although the dangers of these footboards were raised years ago, the city of Cheongju ignored and neglected the issue.

CJB reporter Lee Hwan has the story.

[Reporter]

In the early hours of yesterday (November 5) before dawn had fully broken, two sanitation workers wearing fluorescent safety vests are seen moving while standing on the rear footboard of a garbage truck.

Moments later, a cargo truck driven by a man in his 60s crashes into the garbage vehicle.

The impact throws both sanitation workers onto the road, leaving a 28-year-old sanitation worker employed by the city of Cheongju, who was on the right side of the footboard, severely injured.

He was rushed to the hospital, but ultimately passed away in the early hours of today.

The other sanitation worker in his 20s who was riding with him did not sustain major injuries.

Police are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident, believing the garbage truck collided with the cargo truck while changing lanes.

However, the government had already warned about the dangers of the footboards at the back of such vehicles, which the workers were riding on at the time of the accident, as early as eight years ago.

In 2018, the government specified in its work safety improvement measures for sanitation workers that riding on footboards during transit cannot be permitted given domestic road conditions, establishing the principle that workers must ride inside the vehicle cabin.

Despite this, the footboards remained installed on garbage trucks directly operated by the city of Cheongju.

Following the accident, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions North Chungcheong Headquarters demanded a fundamental solution, pointing out that while footboards were completely removed from private subcontracted vehicles in 2024, they continued to be used on vehicles directly operated by the city.

The district office overseeing the jurisdiction in Cheongju stated that it removed all footboards installed on directly operated garbage trucks after the accident, but this came only after a young worker in his 20s had already lost his life.

(Video Journalist: Kim Geun-hyuk, CJB)

CJB, Lee Hwan
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.