Gwangju Hakdong Collapse Accident Never Again... Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Publishes 'Accident Report' to Learn Prevention Methods from the Incident

Central Accident Investigation Team Publishes Web Magazine 'Major Accident Issue Report'

Major Accident Issue Report Cover.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Why did the collapse accident occur in Hakdong, Gwangju, during the building demolition work? There is a reason behind every accident. We learn prevention methods from accidents.

The Central Accident Investigation Team (Head Kim Nam-du) of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency has produced and released a "Major Accident Issue Report" that deeply analyzes the causes of accidents and suggests recurrence prevention measures to eradicate repeated serious accidents.

The recently published Major Accident Issue Report covers three issues: △ Problems and accident prevention measures in building demolition work, including the recent collapse accident in Hakdong, Gwangju, which affected many citizens; △ Cases of formwork and shoring collapse accidents, a repeated major accident type at construction sites; and △ Cases of excavation slope collapse accidents in pipeline construction.

The first topic, "Problems and Accident Prevention Measures in Building Demolition Work," revisited the risks and structural problems of demolition work through cause analysis of the June building collapse accident in Hakdong, Gwangju, and comparative analysis with past similar cases.

Recurrence prevention measures were proposed, including expanding on-site participation of structural safety experts, reorganizing the command and supervision system led by clients and main contractors, restricting qualification criteria for demolition work participants, and strengthening pre-monitoring functions for risk factors.

The second topic, "Cases and Countermeasures of Formwork and Shoring Collapse Accidents," analyzed the causes of repeated accident cases at construction sites and prepared preventive measures and checklists to ensure structural safety.

The third topic, "Can Excavation Slope Collapse Accidents in Pipeline Construction Be Prevented?" compared domestic and international safety work standards.

Improvement plans and preventive measures were proposed based on the causes of frequent collapse accidents in Korea over the past five years.

The Major Accident Issue Report is a web magazine published bimonthly. This is the fourth edition. It is produced focusing on major accidents that have recently become issues and have policy and institutional implications.

All issue reports are available for free download on the agency’s website and can be freely used with source acknowledgment except for commercial use.

Kim Nam-du, head of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, said, "Revealing the causes through detailed and planned investigations of major accidents is the first step in accident prevention," adding, "We will do our best to ensure that recurrence prevention measures are implemented on-site and contribute to preventing fatal accidents through accident cause investigations and issue report publications."

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