Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters Reports Average of 281 Welding Fires Annually... 31 Injured

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Over the past five years, an average of 281 welding-related fires occurred annually in Gyeonggi-do, resulting in 31 injuries or deaths.

The Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters analyzed fires by cause from 2016 to 2020 and found that welding-related fires, including cutting, slicing, and grinding, totaled 1,406 cases. This accounted for 23.8% of the nationwide total of 5,909 cases during the same period.

These incidents caused 12 deaths and 144 injuries, totaling 156 casualties, with property damage reaching 75.5 billion KRW.

In the first quarter of this year (January to March), 80 welding-related fires were recorded in the province, resulting in 7 injuries.

By location, industrial facilities such as factories and warehouses, where much work is conducted, accounted for the largest share at 37% (516 cases). This was followed by construction sites including outdoor yards and open spaces at 18% (258 cases), and residential facilities at 11% (155 cases).

The cause of fires was overwhelmingly due to negligence, accounting for 95% (1,336 cases) of the total. This was followed by unattended fire sources (2.1%) and proximity to combustible materials (1.4%). By time of day, 57% of fires occurred between 12 PM and 6 PM, the period when work activity is most intense.

The most common initial ignition material in welding-related fires was synthetic resin (45.8%). Most synthetic resin was identified as Styrofoam, used as the core material in sandwich panels.

Hwang Won-cheol, head of the Fire Investigation Team at the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, stated, "Welding-related fires mostly occurred due to negligence and insufficient safety measures, such as the absence of safety managers at the sites." He urged, "To prevent welding sparks from scattering, welders should keep fire extinguishing equipment such as fire extinguishers and spark prevention covers within 5 meters."