A construction site in downtown Seoul. [Herald DB]
A construction site in downtown Seoul. [Herald DB]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will launch simultaneous safety inspections at construction sites nationwide from Thursday through July 31 to prevent accidents during the rainy season.

About 900 inspectors from 12 organizations — including the ministry, regional land management offices, affiliated public institutions and private-sector experts — will take part. The inspections will cover more than 3,000 sites, including apartment complexes, social overhead capital projects and general building construction sites across the country.

The inspections will focus on areas vulnerable to heavy rainfall, taking into account rainy-season hazards such as slope erosion and ground weakening from water infiltration and risks from strong winds. Inspectors will examine the adequacy of safety management and flood-prevention measures, whether drainage systems have been maintained and preemptive action taken on vulnerable structures such as retaining walls, the condition of cut and fill slopes, whether concrete is being poured during rainfall, and wind-preparedness measures including anti-toppling safeguards for tower cranes.

Inspections of high-risk work — including temporary earth-retaining structure installation, excavation and cut-and-fill operations, and drainage construction — will be conducted jointly with outside private-sector experts. Special inspections will also be carried out at other construction sites operated by companies that recorded fatal accidents in the first quarter of this year, urban excavation sites deeper than 10 meters, and sites commissioned by public institutions.

The ministry said any violations uncovered during inspections — including shoddy construction or inadequate safety and quality management — will be dealt with strictly and without exception under relevant laws, including the imposition of penalty points and fines and referrals for investigation.


smh@heraldcorp.com