Public-private task force launched with participation from Korea Infrastructure Safety Corporation, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, Korean Society of Civil Engineers and others
Amid a government-level investigation into the collapse at the Seosomun overpass demolition site in Seoul that left multiple people dead, Kim I-tak, first vice minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, chaired a public-private joint demolition safety management task force on Wednesday and pledged to overhaul the country's safety management system for demolition work.
The task force was established to proactively review existing regulations and discuss necessary improvements to the safety management regime for SOC demolition projects, drawing on calls for reform from industry and academia.
The meeting, held at the Korea Land Development Exhibition Hall in Seoul, was attended by Park Chang-geun, president of the Korea Infrastructure Safety Corporation; Park Seon-gyu, president of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology; Han Seung-heon, president of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers; Lee Yong-su, vice president of the Korean Society of Safety in Construction; Park Jong-myeon, president of the Korea Construction Engineers Association; and Kim Jong-heun, president of the Korea Construction Engineering Association.
"Following the collapse at an Ulsan thermal power plant demolition site last November that killed seven people, another fatal accident occurred at the Seosomun demolition site on May 26, highlighting the need to reform the safety management regime for SOC demolition work," Kim said. "Through the task force, we plan to review a system overhaul that raises the level of safety management across the entire lifecycle of demolition projects — from design and construction to supervision."
Participants exchanged views on how to operate the task force and on the direction of improvements to the safety management regime for SOC demolition projects.
Meanwhile, an accident investigation committee to determine the cause of the Seosomun collapse and establish measures to prevent a recurrence was formed on May 28 and is expected to operate for four months.
smh@heraldcorp.com
