Gyeonggi Fire Department Conducts 'Intensive Crackdown' on 1,059 Hazardous Facilities Including Paint Stores

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters will conduct intensive inspections targeting a total of 1,059 locations, including 730 paint stores handling hazardous materials and 329 out-of-service gas stations, to ensure the safety of residents.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters will first carry out focused inspections on hazardous material storage and handling activities at paint stores across the province during May and June.

Under the current Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, storing or handling 200 liters or more of thinner requires permission from the local fire station. To meet the permission requirements, facilities must have fire-resistant structures and fire doors, but small-scale paint stores find it difficult to comply. Among the 730 paint stores in the province, only four have obtained fire station approval. Stores without permission must obtain approval from the local fire station if they store hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantity.

The Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters will also conduct safety management inspections on 329 out-of-service hazardous material facilities, such as gas stations, within the province.

This measure comes as the number of out-of-service hazardous facilities increases annually due to poor business conditions, but safety measures are insufficient due to long-term neglect, raising risks such as fires and leaks that threaten citizen safety.

During this inspection, the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters will focus on ▲ voluntary reporting of out-of-service status (to fire stations) and guidance on safety measures ▲ promotion of amendments to the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act (making reporting and safety measures mandatory) ▲ on-site investigations to check management status and soil contamination ▲ issuance of safety orders and enforcement by authority ▲ guidance on decommissioning, which involves complete removal of hazardous material facilities (reporting to fire stations) ▲ and year-round preventive patrols.

Lee Hyung-cheol, head of the Gyeonggi Fire Headquarters, stated, "To ensure the safety of residents, we plan to strengthen crackdowns on unauthorized hazardous material storage and handling facilities, including paint stores," and urged, "Those responsible for hazardous material facilities should cooperate in preventing hazardous material accidents by voluntarily reporting and taking safety measures when ceasing use."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.