Seoul City Conducts Simulation Drill for 'Tunnel Construction Site Earth Retaining Wall Collapse' to Prepare for Safety Accidents During Thawing Season

Seo Jeong-hyeop Acting Mayor Visits 'Banpocheon Watershed Separation Tunnel' Construction Site on 4th for Thawing Season Safety Inspection
Assuming Worker Tunnel Isolation Due to Earth Retaining Facility Collapse... Full Process Training Including Situation Reporting and Rescue

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 4th that it will conduct a simulated drill assuming the collapse of a retaining wall at the Banpocheon Watershed Separation Tunnel construction site as part of safety inspections for facilities in preparation for the thawing season.

Seoul designates February to March each year as the "Thawing Season Safety Inspection" period, conducting inspections on safety-vulnerable facilities such as construction sites and road facilities. This year, from February 15 to March 15, safety inspections are being carried out on a total of 2,123 locations, including construction sites, safety-vulnerable facilities (D and E grades), roads, and road facilities.

The Banpocheon Watershed Separation Tunnel construction site, where the simulated drill will be conducted, is a construction site with installed temporary retaining wall facilities. Retaining wall structures are particularly at higher risk of collapse during the thawing season because soil moisture freezes and expands in winter, then weakens as the ice melts during thawing.

Seoul aims to thoroughly prevent safety accidents by simulating actual accident situations at retaining wall construction sites especially vulnerable during the thawing season, to verify whether disaster response manuals and systems operate properly on-site and to identify areas for improvement.

Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyeop will visit the site along with private experts in construction and river management fields, personally overseeing the entire simulated drill process and carefully inspecting safety facilities such as temporary retaining walls. He will also inspect the progress of the construction by touring inside the tunnel.

The simulated drill assumes a scenario where the retaining wall (temporary structure) around the construction site suddenly collapses, trapping three workers inside the tunnel under soil and rocks. Seoul will conduct the entire process from situation reporting, rescue, and first aid to post-management in accordance with the "Road Construction Site Collapse Manual" and other protocols.

Immediately upon recognizing the accident, a report will be made to 119, dispatching fire rescue and emergency medical teams. A "Disaster Site Command Bus" equipped with a disaster response system will also be deployed on-site. Using manpower and rescue equipment, all available resources will be mobilized to remove soil and rocks piled at the tunnel entrance and rescue the trapped workers. To prevent secondary accidents, safety tapes and traffic cones will be installed around the site to control access. Once the trapped workers are rescued, the waiting emergency medical team will provide first aid and transport them to the hospital by ambulance, concluding the drill.

Seoul requested citizens’ special attention and care as collapse and subsidence accidents during the thawing season could potentially lead to major disasters. They urged the public to report any abnormal signs in everyday hazardous facilities to the 120 Dasan Call Center.

Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyeop emphasized, "There are countless scenarios on-site that cannot all be covered in manuals. Please carefully review once again to predict, prepare, and respond to various situations in advance." He added, "Safety comes first, second, and third. Especially during vulnerable periods like the thawing season, please proceed with construction with heightened vigilance for safety."

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