The government will conduct a full review of the safety management system after a string of accidents during demolition work on aging bridges and other social overhead capital (SOC) facilities.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a kickoff meeting for the "public-private joint demolition work safety management task force (TF)" with 15 experts from industry, academia, research and government in Seoul on the afternoon of the 16th.
Attendees included the Construction Association of Korea, the Korea Specialty contractors association, the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety (KALIS), the Korea Construction Engineers Association, the Korea Construction Engineering Association, the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, the Korea Society of Construction Safety, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS), the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety (KALIS), and the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC).
The TF was created to strengthen the safety management system after a collapse during demolition at a Ulsan thermal power plant in Nov. last year that left seven dead, followed by a fatality at a demolition site on the last month.
The TF is led by the Director General for technology and safety policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. To review the overall safety management system at each stage—from safety inspections of aging facilities to the design, construction and supervision of demolition—the TF is organized into four subcommittees: design; construction and supervision; safety inspections; and institutional support.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to closely examine the current safety management system and prepare fundamental improvements through operation of the TF. Key discussion topics will include: ▲ current status and improvement plans for SOC demolition design methods and procedures ▲ current status of safety inspections for aging SOC and measures to strengthen effectiveness ▲ improvement plans for demolition work safety management systems through comparison with the building demolition field ▲ measures to improve qualification requirements for demolition contractors.
Kim Myeong-jun, the technology and safety policy director at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said, "The government takes seriously the risks of demolition work and the need to strengthen oversight," adding, "We will do our best so public- and private-sector experts can swiftly draw up practical safety management measures."