Jeonnam Province Declares Zero Tolerance for Tetrapod Fall Accidents

Access Control and Safety Facility Installation at Breakwater Tetrapods

Photo of Tetrapod installation. Photo by Jeonnam Province

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeollanam-do has declared zero accidents related to the fall from the harbor area breakwater 'tetrapod.'

On the 1st, Jeonnam Province announced that to prevent the frequent tetrapod fall accidents recently occurring in harbor areas, it will designate restricted access zones for harbor facilities and expand safety facilities such as fences, intelligent CCTV, and fall-prevention nets.

Tetrapods are cylindrical concrete structures piled up to protect harbor facilities such as breakwaters from waves or tsunamis. They are called the black holes of the sea because it is difficult to escape on one’s own if fallen.

In particular, there were 85 fall accidents last year, resulting in 17 deaths.

Although no accidents have occurred in the Jeonnam area, concerns about accidents are increasing as the number of marine tourists and fishing populations has recently grown.

Accordingly, following the amendment of the Harbor Act in July, which established a legal basis for access control to harbor facilities, three locations with high accident risks?Wando Port South Breakwater, Nokdong New Port Breakwater, and Naro-do Port West Breakwater?will be designated as restricted access zones starting at the end of this month.

In addition, safety facilities such as access control notices, fences, intelligent CCTV, life-saving tubes, and fall-prevention nets will be expanded annually at these sites.

In the future, anyone needing to enter the restricted access zones of harbor facilities must obtain approval from the manager, and violators will be fined up to 1 million KRW.

Considering that the law is in its early stages of enforcement, Jeonnam Province plans to promote awareness so that many residents understand the purpose of designating restricted access zones through guidance-focused administration.

Wi Gwanghwan, Director of the Jeollanam-do Marine and Fisheries Bureau, said, “We will greatly expand safety facilities along with guidance-focused administration rather than crackdowns,” and added, “We will thoroughly prevent tetrapod fall accidents for the safety of residents.”

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