Administrative Actions Taken Against 776 Buildings and Facilities for Poor Management Including Lack of Fire Extinguishing and Safety Equipment

2020 National Safety Inspection, 47,000 Risk and Vulnerable Facilities Nationwide Checked

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As a result of conducting a safety inspection this year targeting approximately 47,000 locations nationwide, the government found serious violations at 776 sites, leading to administrative actions such as fines.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 24th the '2020 National Safety Inspection Results' reported at the 105th National Policy Issue Coordination Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.

This year's National Safety Inspection was conducted from June 10 to July 10 over one month, focusing on facilities under central government departments to avoid interfering with local governments' response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A total of 47,746 sites were inspected, including 16,855 child protection zones, 20,154 school facilities, and 1,138 construction sites, with a total of 109,762 personnel including public officials and private experts participating in the inspections.

As a result of the inspections, 6,966 sites received on-site corrective actions, and 776 sites were subject to administrative measures such as fines (124 sites), correction orders (633 sites), and business suspension (19 sites).

Key issues identified included 98 construction sites where fire extinguishing equipment was not installed, safety facilities were inadequate, fire equipment inspection logs were not properly kept, and fall prevention nets were missing. Additionally, 341 hazardous material management facilities were found to have poor management and storage of expired explosives, resulting in correction orders.

The government plans to promptly carry out follow-up measures using each agency's budget for this year for facilities judged to require repairs, reinforcements, or detailed safety inspections. Among 6,898 facilities requiring repairs or reinforcements, 88.3% (6,093 sites) and among 52 facilities requiring detailed safety inspections, 61.5% (32 sites) will be addressed by the end of this year, with the remainder scheduled for 2021 and beyond.

During the safety inspection period, a safety reporting campaign addressing everyday risk factors was also conducted. The number of reports submitted through the Safety Report Portal totaled 91,653, a 56.6% increase compared to 58,530 reports last year.

Meanwhile, to guarantee the public's right to know, safety rights, and right to life, approximately 95.9% of the facilities inspected during this period disclosed their inspection results through their respective agency websites. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to disclose inspection results to the public through the 'National Safety Information Integrated Disclosure System,' scheduled to be established and opened by December, and will gradually expand the disclosure of ongoing safety inspection results by agency and sector through 2023.