Pedestrian Injured After Stepping on Manhole Cover and Falling Down in Busan

Concrete Material... Cracks Occur Over Time
Installed Nationwide Since the Late 1990s

A manhole cover suddenly broke beneath the feet of a man in his 20s walking in Busan, causing an injury.

According to Dong-gu, Busan, at around 11:10 a.m. on the 6th, a manhole cover stepped on by a pedestrian in his 20s, Mr. A, on a sidewalk in Jwacheon-dong, Dong-gu, Busan, broke. At the time of the accident, Mr. A caught himself on the sidewalk with his arm and did not fall to the ground, but he injured his shoulder and is currently hospitalized for treatment.

Mr. A described the accident, saying, "I felt like I was stepping on the manhole cover, but my foot was sucked in as it was," and "I was really scared because I thought I wouldn’t be able to get out." The manhole where the accident occurred is known to be over 2 meters deep and completely open underneath. Since this place is near the seaside, seawater flows below, but no safety facilities such as fall prevention devices were installed.

The scene where a pedestrian fell into a manhole in Dong-gu, Busan
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The manhole cover Mr. A stepped on is a so-called 'decorative manhole' designed to blend in with the surrounding urban aesthetics. Made of concrete, decorative manholes are about one-fifth the price of iron manhole covers and have the advantage of smaller holes that reduce the risk of dropping objects, which is why they began to be installed nationwide from the late 1990s.

The problem is that 20 to 30 years after installation, cracks have gradually started to appear on the manhole covers. Concrete is a material that hardens over time and is prone to cracking in the long term. Moreover, the thickness of the manhole covers is only about 2.5 to 5 cm. It has been identified that other manholes around the accident site already have cracks as well.

A Dong-gu, Busan official told Yonhap News Agency, "The cover involved in the accident was installed in 2006 and is 2.5 cm thick," adding, "The thickness of decorative manholes installed at that time was about 2.5 to 5 cm." He also said, "Recently released manholes have steel plates installed underneath, making them sturdy, but those installed in the past are all made of concrete material," and "It is difficult for the general public to distinguish whether a steel plate is installed underneath just by looking at the surface." Dong-gu, Busan plans to check and replace similar types of manhole covers in the district following this accident.

Manhole Fall Prevention Facility

Meanwhile, there are calls for urgent installation of fall prevention facilities for manholes. Manhole fall prevention facilities are installed directly below the manhole cover with nets or steel structures to prevent people from falling into the sewer even if the cover opens.

Last summer in Gangnam, Seoul, two people were sucked in and died after a sewer manhole cover opened due to record-breaking heavy rain. Since then, Seocho-gu prioritized installing manhole fall prevention facilities at 108 low-lying areas with heavy foot traffic around Gangnam Station. Last month, Gimhae City in Gyeongnam also pilot-installed manhole fall prevention facilities at 191 locations, including flood-prone areas with frequent pedestrian and vehicle traffic, child protection zones, crosswalks, and sewer backflow areas, to prepare for concentrated summer heavy rains and prevent various safety accidents caused by manhole openings.