[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Recently, there have been consecutive suffocation accidents involving construction workers at sites in Gyeonggi-do.
According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 1st, at around 5:45 PM on the 31st of last month, a worker in his 30s suffocated during concrete curing work at an apartment construction site in Yongin. Two other workers present at the site also showed symptoms of dizziness and were transported to the hospital. It was investigated that carbon monoxide was emitted from the bituminous coal burned for the curing process, causing poisoning symptoms.
Additionally, on December 15th last year, nine workers lost consciousness and collapsed while performing concrete curing work at an apartment construction site in Paju and were taken to the hospital. On January 14th of the same year, in Hwaseong City, two workers who were burning shell briquettes to cure concrete suffocated and collapsed, resulting in one death and one injury.
The frequent suffocation accidents at construction sites during winter are attributed to the concrete curing work. Concrete curing is the process of hardening concrete after pouring by using heaters, and burning bituminous coal and charcoal as fuel releases a large amount of carbon monoxide.
In particular, suffocation accidents often result in additional casualties during rescue operations compared to other accidents, making rapid and accurate accident response extremely important.
A representative from the Fire and Disaster Headquarters said, "To prevent suffocation accidents, it is essential to measure the concentration of harmful gases and confirm proper air conditions before starting work," and advised, "Until these safety measures are confirmed, workers should be prohibited from entering the curing work area."
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