The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 10th that it will implement a revision of the 'Quality Control Guidelines for Construction Projects' to relax the installation conditions for field batching plants that produce ready-mixed concrete, starting from the 12th.
This revision is a measure to improve the construction quality level, stabilize construction costs, and revitalize the construction industry. Until now, some construction sites have faced difficulties in securing adequate quality ready-mixed concrete on time due to stringent installation conditions for field batching plants, preventing them from being installed.
In particular, it has been challenging to meet demand smoothly solely with supplies from nearby ready-mixed concrete plants for national projects requiring a large supply of ready-mixed concrete, such as tunnel and mountainous road construction, due to low accessibility, which has raised demands to relax installation conditions for batching plants at the site.
In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has been promoting the relaxation of installation conditions for field batching plants by announcing measures such as 'Stabilization Plans for Construction Costs' and 'Revitalization Plans for the Construction Industry' since last year.
In March, an administrative announcement was made regarding a revised 'Quality Control Guidelines for Construction Projects,' which includes expanding the entities allowed to install field batching plants from the existing contractor to the ordering party, relaxing limits on ready-mixed concrete production, and permitting transport of concrete outside the site. However, the ready-mixed concrete manufacturing and transportation industry has expressed concerns that allowing private contractors to install field batching plants and permitting transport of concrete outside the site could lead to indiscriminate installation and deterioration of the operating conditions of existing manufacturing and transportation companies, thus opposing the revisions.
Following this, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has continuously communicated with the industry, including the Korea Ready-Mixed Concrete Industry Cooperative Federation, the Korea Ready-Mixed Concrete Association, and labor unions for ready-mixed concrete transportation, between April and May to gather their opinions, and based on this, has prepared a consultation proposal and conducted a re-administrative announcement.
The revised proposal includes allowing the ordering agency of public works, which can only be installed by contractors, to also install field batching plants. The ministry explained that when it is impossible to transport ready-mixed concrete within 90 minutes by concrete mixer trucks or when demand surges, large public works ordering agencies such as the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) and the Korea Expressway Corporation will also be able to install batching plants, enabling thorough quality control of ready-mixed concrete and a smooth supply of ready-mixed concrete to the ordering sites.
The revised proposal stipulates that, exceptionally for large national projects defined in the guidelines, ready-mixed concrete can be fully produced at the field batching plant and can be transported and used at sites ordered or constructed by the installer.
Additionally, for projects that permit full production and transport outside the site, a consultative body consisting of the ordering agency, contractors, and the ready-mixed concrete manufacturing industry will be formed and operated under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport from before the installation of the batching plant until its dismantling.
Kim Tae-byung, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Director of Technology Safety Policy, stated, 'Through this revision, I hope quality ready-mixed concrete is supplied to construction sites in a timely manner, strengthening construction quality and safety,' and noted, 'We will actively operate the consultative body for mutual growth among the ordering agency, contractors, and the ready-mixed concrete manufacturing and transportation industries.'