Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province's Road Management Office announced Sunday that it will expand disaster-prevention technical guidance services to small-scale construction sites.
The move comes in response to a surge in industrial accidents, including fatalities, at small construction sites, and is designed to proactively strengthen on-site safety management in line with the government's "war on industrial accidents" policy and its comprehensive labor safety measures.
Beyond the mandatory oversight already required for projects valued at 100 million won ($73,500) or more, the office said it will significantly broaden disaster-prevention technical guidance to cover small-scale construction work below that threshold — including projects that fall just above the negotiated-contract ceiling but remain under 100 million won — a range that had previously fallen into a regulatory blind spot.
The expansion applies to projects put out to tender from Thursday, and designated specialist institutions for construction disaster prevention will be deployed to identify hazardous and risk factors specific to each site and provide tailored improvement guidance.
Officials said the initiative is expected to shift the focus from reactive, after-the-fact responses to a proactive, prevention-centered safety management system, while also strengthening the credibility of provincial road construction administration and fostering a broader safety culture.
"Small sites are often more vulnerable when it comes to safety management, which makes proactive guidance and inspection all the more critical," said Ryu Hyeon-mo, head of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Road Management Office. "Through this expansion of disaster-prevention technical guidance, we will do our utmost to protect workers on site and create a construction environment free of accidents."
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