Now I accept your average passenger doesn't understand why they put a cordon around the wing when using steps, but surely every single employee who is authorised to be airside knows why they shouldn't go anywhere near the engine intake.
The first is to keep passengers away from the fuel tank vents during fuelling and to minimise any risk from static discharge and anything dripping from the wing.
The following should give clear indication of the ingestion zones on the accident aircraft.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.techcare.embraer.com/irj/go/km/docs/download_center/Anonymous/Ergonomia/Home%2520Page/Documents/ARFF_Lineage1000.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjBk8WV_qb8AhUXWcAKHZu6CmsQFnoECCgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw31snwo0N6_6sZkZfpzSsmEIncidentally, and in the ramp agents defence, the Embraer is somewhat unique in that the ground power is connected just below, (and from memory) AFT of the main boarding door, which is pretty close to the ingestion zone. But around 3.5-4 metres from the centre of the engine... Not much wiggle room, but plenty safe enough.
The only reason anyone would be there with the engine running would be to connect/disconnect the ground power when the aircraft APU is unserviceable. Which suggests human error where they stepped back away from the power socket rather than moving forward along the fuselage... Also they should have been forward of the socket rather than aft of it.
I have worked this type as a ramp agent, (The Orange Product wet leased one for a couple of months), but never had to connect/disconnect the ground power on one with an inop APU.
I have, however, done this on the A320 family numerous times but the socket on that is immediately ahead of the nose gear. Arrival process is aircraft drives onto stand and the parking brake is applied, you the approach the nose directly and chock the nose gear, open the power port as you walk away along the centreline, then return with the plug, insert it, switch the power on, slap the belly twice, and walk back ahead of the nose, make eye contact and give the connected signal.
For departure you have the air start unit connected to the AC packs and for ground power, the above is reversed once the first engine is started. One engine gets started first, then the air start gets disconnected, then the ground power and then the second engine.
If this was the situation in this incident, it's possible that the second engine start may have occurred before the ramp agent was clear and they were unaware of the sudden restriction to their space. And for this to happen someone wasn't following standard procedures be that the dispatcher/ramp lead or flight crew.
Usually it is the ramp lead /headset operator who gives instructions to everyone else, and when people jump the gun on a particular step things like this happen.
I know of a chap who lost his lower leg disconnecting the push back tug because the flight crew had released the brakes without instruction as he was removing the steering release pin and the fully loaded A320 drove over his ankle.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/gatwick-airport-incident-emergency-crews-12268767