Concrete Hardening Causes Sudden Breath Loss... Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Urgently Implements Measures to Prevent Asphyxiation Accidents at Construction Sites

17 of 25 Asphyxiation Accidents in the Past Decade Occurred During Curing Work

Ventilation Neglected for Insulation, Use of Hot Air Blowers Recommended Instead of Lignite

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency announced an emergency plan on the 25th to prevent repeated suffocation accidents occurring at concrete curing sites.

The agency revealed on the 26th that out of 25 suffocation accidents in the construction industry over the past 10 years, 17 occurred during concrete curing work.

Concrete curing work, presumed to be one of the causes of the Gwangju Hwajeong I-Park collapse accident, involves protecting and managing the concrete after pouring to prevent effects from temperature, load, impact, or damage.

Although curing is a crucial process, often described as the lifeline of concrete, in winter, proper ventilation is not maintained to keep the appropriate temperature using coal briquette stoves, which sometimes leads to suffocation accidents due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

In fact, on the 14th, at a construction site in Hwaseong City, one person died and another was injured due to carbon monoxide poisoning during concrete curing work, and on the 19th, four workers at an apartment construction site in Daegu complained of dizziness while entering the curing area and were rushed to the hospital.

To prevent suffocation accidents at construction sites during winter, the agency will conduct surprise inspections nationwide around the Lunar New Year holiday on the 25th, designated as "Site Inspection Day," to check for suffocation risk factors.

They will verify whether curing work using coal briquettes is being conducted and guide the implementation of safety measures to prevent suffocation, paying closer attention to places prone to suffocation accidents such as underground framework or waterproofing inside reservoirs.

The agency plans to share suffocation accident cases with safety managers at construction sites nationwide and safety department heads of the top 100 construction companies, distribute self-inspection checklists to each workplace, and fundamentally eliminate suffocation risk factors by guiding the use of hot air blowers instead of coal briquette stoves.

Director Ahn Jong-ju stated, "Using dangerous fuels like coal briquettes simply because they are inexpensive is not fitting for our country, which ranks among the world's top 10 economies, and this practice must be eradicated," adding, "We will thoroughly inspect safety measures at workplaces to ensure no more suffocation accidents occur during concrete curing work."