In 2022, Halloween celebrations in South Korea were canceled two nights before the holiday; on October 29th, uncontrolled crowd movements resulted in over hundred and fifty deaths. The tragedy resulted from overcrowded narrow streets in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood as many young people visited the bars and restaurants to celebrate Halloween on a weekend night.
The high energies of drunk and otherwise excited young people resulted in pushing and shoving as they tried to make their way through the narrow, steep streets of the busy area. It resulted in many people stumbling and falling and ultimately getting trampled to death. The Itaewon incident also resulted in several hundred individuals getting injured.
Preventing Incidents Like the Itaewon Crowd Crush from Happening Again
The key factor in preventing incidents like the Itaewon Crowd Crush from happening again is to educate people to avoid confined spaces whenever possible. If avoiding the crowd isn’t possible, acquiring information about the entry and exit points becomes essential. Moreover, detecting early signs of overcrowded space and removing oneself from the crowd as soon as possible can be helpful.
But as much as educating and spreading awareness about crowd density is important, sometimes people cannot help but get swept up in crowds. Avoiding becoming part of crowds can be impossible for people visiting the space for work purposes. For such individuals, confined space training can is the only solution.
How to Stay Safe in Crowds
If you cannot avoid crowds due to work or personal commitments, confined space training BC or confined space training online is a thorough course that will prepare you to ensure your safety and the safety of your loved ones in confined spaces.
However, remembering and applying the following tips for staying safe can also prove helpful:
1. Don’t Panic
The primary step is to stay relaxed to ensure safety in crowded or confined spaces. While it can be difficult, panicking or becoming anxious will only worsen the situation. People tend to act as one body when densely packed in a crowd. Thus, your anxiety will travel across the crowd, making the situation dangerous.
Take deep breaths if you feel anxious. Deep breaths help supply adequate oxygen to the brain, helping you think clearly and make correct decisions. If you have water or any other beverage, take small sips to keep yourself hydrated and relaxed.
2. Ensure Breathing Room
Folding your arms in front of yourself at a distance, as boxers do before a fight, will create breathing space for you. If you have colleagues, friends, or family around you in the crowd, direct them to do the same, so everyone has some breathing room.
This breathing space will prevent you and others from feeling suffocated. It will also act like a shield in the front, ensuring greater protection.
3. Stand Firmly (If Possible)
If the crowd seems still, planting your feet firmly on the ground will help you feel safer and calmer. Keep your feet at least one foot apart to occupy a comfortable space. You can keep one foot in front of the other or both feet parallel. Bending knees slightly to take the boxer position will be especially helpful in maintaining balance.
4. Don’t Bend
People often bend down to pick up the belongings they drop, but it is never a good idea. Bending in a crowded space makes your spot seem empty, which can tempt others to take it. If you get pushed or shoved when bent, you won’t be able to stand upright again.
Thus, it can easily lead to you getting trampled by the crowd. Do not ask someone else to help you up or watch out for you while you bend, as you will be putting another life in danger alongside yours.
If you fall for any reason, try standing back up within a few seconds. If you cannot, lay on your side and curl into a ball. Use your arms and hands to cover your neck and head.
5. Move with Crowd
As mentioned, dense crowds often act like one unit, meaning going against it is usually impossible. So if you become a part of a dense crowd, moving with the crowd is the best way to ensure your safety. Don’t move against the crowd, and don’t fight it.
6. Move Diagonally (If Possible)
Moving diagonally, i.e., sideways, is usually much easier than moving straight in crowds. However, when moving diagonally, your direction and pace must be the same as the crowd’s.
7. Move toward Open Spaces
One of the most obvious tips of confined space training, yet one that many fail to remember, is to move towards open spaces and away from confined spaces. Even if the space is open air, avoiding walls, fences, or any other barrier is always advised.
Barriers may feel safe, but they increase your chances of feeling confined and suffocated. Climbing fences or other barriers can also prove dangerous when you cannot look across them.
Enrolls in Confined Space Training
Enrolling in confined space training with Metro Safety is the most efficient method to ensure your safety in any confined space you may get stuck in. At Metro Safety, we offer emergency care courses, so you are prepared to ensure your safety and those around you whenever needed.
Besides confined space training BC, we also offer fall arrest training BC, first aid level 1 and 2, first aid level 3 courses, OFA 1 and OFA 2 training, OFA 3 course BC, and emergency care training. Call 604-521-4227 or click here to contact us today.
