The Nation's First '119 Civil Engineering Rescue Team' Bell Rang... Preemptive Safety Inspection for Rainy Season Preparedness in Busan

Busan City Forms Safety Inspection Team of Civil Engineering Experts Volunteering Talents

Targeting Vulnerable and Disaster-Prone Areas Including Major Large Construction Sites

Panoramic view of Busan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Ahead of the rainy season, the ‘119 Civil Engineering Rescue Team’ will be dispatched for the first time in Busan.

The Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Hyung-jun) announced on the 20th that it will operate the 119 Civil Engineering Rescue Team to conduct pre-inspections of vulnerable and disaster-prone areas in preparation for this year’s rainy season.

From April 20 to 21, this safety inspection team will visit major large-scale construction sites and conduct “on-site safety inspections.”

The 119 Civil Engineering Rescue Team is a volunteer organization that donates civil engineering expertise through voluntary participation. About 40 civil engineering experts, including university professors, PhDs, and licensed engineers who are members of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, are participating.

The Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam branch of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers signed a public-private cooperation agreement for talent donation last April, the first of its kind nationwide, to ensure citizen safety, emergency recovery, and prevention of secondary accidents in the event of disasters.

The 119 Civil Engineering Rescue Team plays a role in removing risk factors in advance by conducting safety inspections of vulnerable and disaster-prone areas in the jurisdiction in preparation for the rainy season.

The 119 Civil Engineering Rescue Team safety inspection group, composed of the team leader and experts in each field, inspects ▲the condition of slopes such as embankments and erosion ▲and the presence of abnormalities in temporary earth retaining structures.

Any issues that can be corrected on-site based on the safety inspection results will be addressed immediately, and if necessary, safety measures will be prepared through rapid emergency response using technical advisory opinions.

For the safety inspection sites, construction site response guides for COVID-19 prevention and containment will also be distributed to ensure thorough quarantine management at construction sites.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun of Busan said, “We plan to further strengthen the construction safety environment through ‘on-site safety inspections’ in preparation for the rainy season,” adding, “We will create a safe city Busan through various activities.”