Strengthening Quality Control of Building Materials... Enhancing Fire Safety Performance

Integrated Standards for Fire-Resistant Structures, Finishing Materials, Fire Doors, and Automatic Fire Shutters
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Administrative Notice on the Draft Enforcement Decree of the 'Quality Certification and Management Standards for Building Materials'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] To strengthen quality management throughout the entire process of manufacturing, distribution, and construction of major building materials related to fire safety in buildings, a quality certification system will be expanded and introduced by the end of the year.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 16th that it has prepared a draft for the enactment of the "Quality Certification and Management Standards for Building Materials, etc.," which integrates the existing Ministry of Land notices related to building materials, and will publicly notify it for administrative comments.

The quality certification system is a system that ensures building materials requiring fire safety performance are properly produced by receiving recognition from specialized institutions, and manages their distribution and construction on-site according to the recognized standards.

Currently, fire doors and fire shutters are subject to the quality certification system, but by the end of the year, it will be expanded to include fire-resistant filling structures and sandwich panels.

Management of manufacturing sites for building materials will also be strengthened. During the quality certification process, thorough verification of raw material traceability, manufacturing process management, and manufacturing and inspection equipment management capabilities will be conducted, and post-management through regular inspections will be implemented even after certification.

Performance testing management will also be enhanced. Supervision and management of testing institutions will be strengthened to ensure that tests are conducted appropriately in accordance with building laws and Korean Industrial Standards. The performance verification system will be improved from company-led performance confirmation to quality and performance confirmation led by quality certification institutions.

Additionally, immediate administrative actions such as manufacturing site improvement orders, temporary suspension of certification, and cancellation of certification will be used to manage the production and distribution process of materials, and criminal charges will be concurrently pursued to increase the severity of sanctions against defective materials.

Products or items whose certification has been canceled due to violations will be restricted from applying for certification for a certain period, considering the reorganization period for quality management at the manufacturing site.

The draft for the Quality Certification and Management Standards for Building Materials, etc. will be promulgated after administrative notification, consultation with related agencies, and review by the Ministry of Government Legislation, and is scheduled to take effect on December 23.