Construction Site Accidents? Winter Is More Dangerous... Safety and Health Agency Conducts Special Inspections for Accident Prevention

KOSHA Director Park Duyong Inspects Fall and Fire Hazards at New Construction Site on the 4th

Park Doo-yong, President of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (third from the left in the photo), toured a construction site in Incheon on the 4th and urged site personnel to cooperate in inspecting safety facilities and preventing winter safety accidents.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] #1. On January 16, 2019, two workers suffocated and died while replacing charcoal for concrete curing at a residential-commercial complex construction site in Siheung-si, Gyeonggi-do.

#2. On February 27 of the same year, a fire broke out due to sparks during torch cutting work at an apartment construction site in Geumsan-gun, Chungnam. One person died and two were injured.

#3. On February 21, 2020, at a house remodeling site in Busan, a house collapsed causing two workers to die and a total of five casualties.

Winter construction sites are even more severe like this. The cold restricts movement, and accidents caused by materials used for insulation mean that winter construction sites harbor more sudden dangers.

To prevent such winter disasters, the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA, Chairman Park Doo-yong) conducted a safety inspection on the 4th at a new apartment construction site in Incheon.

Chairman Park Doo-yong and the inspection team focused on hazards prone to occur in winter such as falls, fires, and suffocation.

They checked the installation status of work platforms and safety railings to prevent fall accidents, as well as whether personal protective equipment like helmets and safety harnesses were worn. For fire prevention, they focused on whether combustible materials were isolated or removed, and the condition of fire prevention equipment and facilities.

Winter construction sites are affected by cold weather during outdoor work, reducing physical activity and increasing the likelihood of fall accidents. Also, the possibility of fires caused by heating devices and welding work is higher than in other seasons.

Additionally, attention must be paid to suffocation accidents caused by concrete curing insulation and poisoning accidents from antifreeze agents used to prevent concrete from freezing.

From December last year to February this year, 120 fatal accidents occurred at construction sites, with an average of 128 deaths annually. Among accident types, fall accidents occurred most frequently.

After the site safety inspection, the KOSHA inspection team gave hot packs to prevent cold and urged protection of workers' health and safety management of subcontractor workers.

Chairman Park Doo-yong said, “Employers should properly install and inspect work platforms and safety railings, and workers should comply with basic safety rules such as wearing helmets and safety harnesses to do their best to prevent fatal accidents at winter construction sites.”

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