The government has introduced measures to prevent the recurrence of the Sejong-Anseong expressway collapse by revising bridge construction standards and strengthening the management and supervisory responsibilities of the contracting authority and construction contractors.
The Sejong-Anseong expressway collapse investigation committee announced on the 19th a set of measures to prevent the recurrence of the Sejong-Anseong expressway collapse.
On February 25th, during the construction of the Sejong-Anseong expressway, a collapse occurred when a girder, part of the bridge deck structure, overturned while a launcher was being moved backward. This accident resulted in 4 fatalities and 6 injuries, totaling 10 casualties.
The investigation committee noted that it will establish standards for the timing of dismantling anti-overturning facilities to prevent the recurrence of this accident. It will mandate the inclusion of anti-overturning facility dismantling content from the start of the construction contract. When using temporary equipment, it will strengthen the effectiveness of the safety certification procedures for the equipment and require the creation of phased safety management plans.
The management and supervisory responsibilities of the contracting authority and construction project managers will also be actualized. Plans are in place to strengthen the management and supervisory functions of the contracting authority and construction contractors.
Measures to prevent recurrence from a design and construction perspective have also been proposed. The committee stated it would address the vulnerabilities to lateral bending and uplift when the length of the girder increases, and ensure quality through thorough measurement and construction management. It also mentioned plans to enhance the review of the appropriateness of equipment selection, such as launchers, by experts.
On this day, Chairperson Oh Hong-seop said, "In the future, the use of PSC construction, high-efficiency handler supports, and launchers capable of temporary space installation will continue to increase," adding, "It is necessary to reflect simulations conducted by the contracting authority, design engineers, construction companies, and supervisors in the safety management plan, design, and safety evaluation up to the final stage of the process for applying this construction method."
Chairperson Oh noted, "For those who have suffered significant accidents, I believe that the accident might have been prevented if they could have exercised the right to halt work at the site during the accident," adding, "Improving site safety management systems is also necessary."
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to amend the 'standard specifications for bridge construction' to ensure that anti-overturning facilities are dismantled after the horizontal formwork is placed and cured, following approval from construction management professionals.
Specific construction methods that use equipment like launchers will have their technical advisory committee operational rules amended to require participation of construction equipment experts during contracting authority technical reviews. There are plans to review working precautions for temporary structures such as launchers through consultations with related agencies.
In particular, the Ministry will revise the 'Korea Expressway Corporation construction site inspection manual' to actualize the management and supervisory responsibilities of the contracting authority and construction management professionals for temporary facilities outside of primary objectives and important processes. Plans are in place to enhance measurement and construction management by establishing a 'standard specifications for PSC girders' within the 'standard specifications for bridge construction' in response to the increase in girder length.
Kim Tae-byeong, Director of the Technical Safety Policy Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Based on the investigation results and special investigations, we will report any illegalities to the police, relevant ministries, and local governments to impose strict measures such as business suspension and fines," adding, "We will quickly implement institutional improvement measures to prevent similar accidents from recurring."