Nationwide Joint Winter Inspections of Construction Sites...Strict Measures for Safety Management Lapses

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 1st that it will conduct safety inspections at construction sites nationwide from the 2nd to the 11th of next month to prevent winter safety accidents and poor construction.

This inspection will be conducted simultaneously at 966 construction sites nationwide, including roads, railways, water resources, airports, and buildings. To ensure inspection expertise, 11 joint inspection teams, including 20 private experts, have been formed.

The joint inspection teams will focus on checking the management status of fire hazard construction during winter, quality control status such as Korea-China concrete construction plans, safety management of temporary facilities for cut slopes and excavation works, and management status of construction machinery such as tower cranes and pile drivers.

For fire hazard construction, the plan is to inspect the management status of winter hazardous works such as fire-prone trades and suffocation in confined spaces. The safety management status will verify the monitoring status of ground subsidence and collapse risks, and the appropriateness of installing temporary facilities such as shoring and scaffolding for cut slopes and excavation works.

The operational status, cracks, damage, and external conditions of tower cranes, pile drivers, etc., as well as expiration of validity periods and structural modifications, will also be checked intensively.

Additionally, the performance of duties such as report writing by construction project management engineers, appropriateness of attendance and replacement, and establishment and implementation of safety management plans will also be inspected.

Construction sites found to have inadequate safety management or violations as a result of the inspection will be strictly dealt with according to the zero-tolerance principle, including work stoppage, business suspension, penalty points, and fines.

Han Myunghee, Director of Construction Safety at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, emphasized, "Through this inspection, we will express the government's strong will to prevent safety accidents at construction sites and ensure that the message that safety is the top priority at construction sites is conveyed."