Joint Safety Inspections with External Experts
No Timeline Set for Resuming Construction
Night work continues on the evening of the 6th at the boiler tower collapse accident site at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant, Ulsan Power Headquarters of Korea East-West Power in Yongjam-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan. Photo by Yonhap News
HJ Heavy Industries, which was in charge of the dismantling work for Units 4, 5, and 6 of the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant, announced on the 7th that it would voluntarily suspend all construction operations in its domestic sites following the collapse accident that occurred on the 6th. The suspension applies to all construction sites across South Korea.
HJ Heavy Industries stated, "We are conducting comprehensive safety inspections and implementing supplementary measures at all sites due to the occurrence of a serious industrial accident at the dismantling site for Ulsan Thermal Power Plant Units 4, 5, and 6." The company also announced that it will not allow construction to resume until it has independently confirmed that safety has been secured.
The date for resuming construction has not yet been determined. The company plans to restart work only after completing internal safety inspections and implementing any necessary supplementary measures at all sites. Each site is required to conduct its own inspections of risk factors and all safety facilities, and must report the inspection results and any supplementary actions taken to the headquarters.
The Safety and Health Management Office, which oversees internal safety operations, will conduct joint safety inspections together with external professional organizations.
The revenue from the suspended construction sectors amounts to 1.034534 trillion won, which corresponds to 54.85% of the company's consolidated sales as of the end of last year.
The dismantling project for Units 4, 5, and 6 of the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant, which HJ Heavy Industries received from Korea East-West Power, had a contract value of 57.5 billion won and a construction period of 27 months. The plan was to complete the dismantling and demolition by March next year.
Meanwhile, on the previous day, a 60-meter-high boiler tower collapsed at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant, Ulsan Power Headquarters of Korea East-West Power in Yongjam-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, burying seven workers from a blasting company who had been deployed for the tower dismantling. So far, three have been confirmed dead, two are presumed dead, and search operations are ongoing for the remaining two missing workers.
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