Education Facilities to Undergo 'Safety Certification' Every 5 Years... Mandatory 'Safety Evaluation' During Construction

Ministry of Education Establishes Regulations for Operation of Educational Facility Safety Certification and Standards for Safety Evaluation

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] From now on, kindergartens, schools, libraries, universities, and other educational facilities must obtain safety certification every five years and must undergo safety evaluations when construction is carried out on school facilities or adjacent areas.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Education announced the establishment and operation of the "Educational Facility Safety Certification Operation Regulations" and the "Educational Facility Safety Evaluation Operation Standards." These regulations and standards were prepared as follow-up measures following the enforcement of the "Educational Facility Safety Act," which mandates biannual safety inspections of educational facilities.

The newly established educational facility safety certification will verify the overall safety of educational facilities, and based on this, metropolitan and provincial offices of education and schools must establish improvement plans for vulnerable factors.

Furthermore, construction contractors are required to conduct safety evaluations before any construction work inside or outside schools to take preventive measures such as preventing cracks and subsidence in educational facilities and ensuring the safety of school routes. Metropolitan and provincial offices of education and schools can verify whether construction contractors have implemented these measures.

The core of the Educational Facility Safety Certification Operation Regulations is that kindergartens, schools, student training centers, universities, and other educational facilities must obtain certification at least every five years (with the highest grade valid for 10 years).

There are two certification grades: Excellent and Good. Facilities can receive a grade if they meet the score criteria for each grade through detailed evaluations of facility safety, indoor environmental safety, and external environmental safety. If the score for any criterion is below 80% of the standard, certification cannot be granted.

The targets for educational facility safety evaluations include construction work within school educational facilities, construction within 4 meters of school boundaries, and excavation, structural, or demolition work within 50 meters. Evaluations must be conducted mandatorily before construction begins.

Construction contractors must conduct safety evaluations to secure the safety of schools and students from potential risks caused by construction and minimize inconvenience. Specific procedures and standards must be established for comprehensive countermeasures. Safety evaluations should cover the analysis of the condition of educational facilities, safety measures related to excavation and demolition work, temporary construction site and fire safety management, safety of school routes, and traffic management for construction vehicles.

Lee Seung-bok, Director of the Education Safety Information Bureau at the Ministry of Education, stated, "We expect that through educational facility safety certification and safety evaluations, potential safety hazards in schools can be identified in advance. We will actively support the creation of a safe school environment and the practical implementation of these systems."

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