Before the collapse incident on the Seoul-Sejong Expressway that occurred in February, plans were reviewed to expand the safety dedicated organization at the expressway construction site. Generally, construction sites appoint a maximum of two safety managers based on the scale of the project, but there are plans to deploy safety managers at the organizational unit level in road construction projects where heavy cargo handling is significant.
On the 4th, according to the 2025 work plan submitted to the National Assembly by the Korea Expressway Corporation, the company has established a plan to mandate the introduction of a dedicated safety organization at construction sites this year. It is being reviewed to appoint the required number of safety managers at construction sites not as individuals but as teams or subunits.
According to the current Industrial Safety and Health Act, safety managers must be assigned to construction sites for worker safety management. Depending on the project's scale, if the cost is between 12 billion won and 80 billion won, one safety manager must be appointed, while for amounts between 80 billion won and 150 billion won, two must be appointed. Regardless of the type of project, safety managers are appointed according to the project's scale.
However, under the Construction Technology Promotion Act, there is no mandatory dedicated safety manager to ensure structural safety. Therefore, the Korea Expressway Corporation is undertaking efforts to establish personnel and organizations responsible for safety management planning, inspection, and training through amendments to the Construction Technology Promotion Act.
A Korea Expressway Corporation official noted, "While there are safety managers for safety on construction sites, in the case of the expressway corporation, the routes are long, and the mechanization rate is higher compared to other civil construction projects, handling a lot of heavy cargo. Therefore, we are preparing a proposal to legislate the requirement to shift safety management from individuals to organizational units to ensure solid construction quality."
However, it remains uncertain whether discussions on the establishment of such safety management organizations can continue due to the highway collapse incident that occurred last month. The site of the accident on the Seoul-Sejong Expressway, in the section between Cheonan and Anseong, was previously designated as a pilot area for enhancing safety by the Korea Expressway Corporation, where additional safety personnel had been deployed. At the time of the construction, a total of four personnel were added, including two construction safety managers and two safety assistants. However, on the 25th of last month, a structure above the pier collapsed, resulting in 10 casualties. The principal contractor for this project is Hyundai Engineering.
The increased burden on construction companies is also a significant challenge for the Korea Expressway Corporation. Expanding safety personnel will inevitably lead to increases in the duration and expense of construction projects. A representative from one construction company stated, "While we agree with the direction to strengthen safety management, if the regulatory level of safety management becomes excessively high, it will inevitably increase the burden on construction companies."
Currently, regarding the pier collapse accident at the Seoul-Sejong Expressway construction site, the Accident Investigation Committee is investigating the cause of the accident. The committee is conducting its own investigation while also pursuing external contracts for safety inspections of the remaining piers following the girder collapse. Depending on the progress, the investigation results are expected to be announced as early as the end of this month. An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "There are aspects that need internal review by the committee and aspects to be reviewed through external contracts. Once this process is completed, the investigation results and safety enhancement measures will be announced."