To prevent a string of accidents at demolition sites, the government, academia, and specialized institutions agreed to rebuild the safety system for demolition work from the ground up.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Vice Minister Kim Ei-tak held a meeting on the afternoon of the 10th at the National Land Development Exhibition Hall in Seoul with heads of institutions participating in the "public-private joint task force (TF) on safety management for demolition work." At the meeting, they reviewed the current state of safety management in demolition work for social overhead capital (SOC) and decided to embark on an extensive system upgrade.
A government-level construction accident investigation committee has been formed and is active to determine the cause of the collapse at the demolition site of the Seosomun overpass in Seoul that occurred on May 26 and to establish measures to prevent a recurrence. In this context, the public-private TF was formed to reflect calls from the field and academia that the SOC demolition safety system needs to be proactively reformed.
Representatives from related fields attended in force, including Park Chang-geun, head of the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety (KALIS); Park Seon-gyu, head of the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT); Han Seung-heon, president of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers; Lee Yong-su, vice president of the Korean Society of Construction Safety; Park Jong-myeon, head of the Korea Construction Engineers Association; and Kim Jong-heun, head of the Korea Construction Engineering Association.
Experts at the meeting exchanged in-depth views on the TF's specific operating direction and ways to advance the SOC demolition safety system. They also pledged to actively participate in the forthcoming process of institutional improvements.
Kim said, "Following the collapse during demolition work at the Ulsan thermal power plant last November that left seven people dead, another fatal accident in demolition work occurred last month, prompting industry and academia to call for an overhaul of the SOC demolition safety management system."
Kim added, "Through the TF, which brings together the capabilities of infrastructure-specialized institutions and academia, we plan to review a system overhaul that raises the level of the current SOC demolition safety management regime across the full lifecycle of demolition work—design, construction, and supervision," and said, "In this process, we ask relevant agencies to offer professional and responsible opinions."
Kim also said, "Regarding the Seosomun overpass collapse in Seoul, we will ensure that the investigation committee thoroughly identifies the cause of the accident and that effective government-level measures to prevent a recurrence are prepared."