Nationwide Survey of Large Warehouse Facilities
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The National Fire Agency announced that from the 23rd of this month to the 2nd of next month, it will conduct a special fire inspection on 490 nationwide warehouse facilities classified as Specific Fire Safety Objects Level 1 or higher. The targets include 483 Level 1 facilities with a total floor area of 15,000㎡ or more and 7 special grade facilities.
This special fire inspection will be conducted unannounced and without prior notice to the targeted facilities, and if necessary, it will be carried out jointly with related agencies such as gas and electricity authorities. Priority will be given to inspecting evacuation facilities, fire compartments, and fire protection facilities, such as unauthorized modifications to fire doors installed in fire compartments. Subsequently, the inspection will verify whether the self-defense fire brigades at each facility conduct training and whether the members understand their duties, thereby assessing the initial response capability in case of fire.
Additionally, the inspection will review the records of self-inspections of fire facilities, focusing on detecting any falsification. It will also investigate the overall maintenance status of fire facilities, including the usability of indoor fire hydrants, whether sprinkler system valves are closed, and the normal operation of automatic fire detection system control panels. The storage and handling of hazardous materials will be checked to confirm whether quantities exceed designated limits, and if quantities are below the designated amount, compliance with provincial hazardous materials ordinances will also be verified.
This investigation aims to identify fire safety management improvement tasks for logistics warehouses to prevent similar accidents like the Icheon Coupang fire, and institutional improvements will be promoted accordingly.
Nam Hwa-young, Director of the Fire Policy Bureau, stated, "Through this large-scale nationwide simultaneous inspection of logistics warehouses, we will investigate the overall safety management status and respond firmly to any violations. We will identify safety management improvement tasks and take all necessary measures, including strengthening fire safety standards for warehouse facilities."
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