Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport cracks down on tower cranes with false manufacturing years... Strict measures including deregistration

Tower Crane [Image Source=Yonhap News]

The government will investigate 188 tower cranes suspected of false manufacturing year registration, which pose a high risk of safety accidents, and take strict measures.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 15th that it plans to investigate a total of 188 tower cranes suspected of false manufacturing year registration out of 5,905 registered tower cranes in cooperation with 15 cities and provinces, and take administrative actions such as correcting the manufacturing year or canceling registration.

Tower cranes must undergo a safety review by an inspection agency each time they are relocated and installed after 10 years from manufacture, and after 15 years, they must undergo non-destructive testing every two years. Non-destructive testing is a process that verifies the safety of the entire equipment, such as bolts or pins, while the inspection equipment is disassembled.

Equipment exceeding the 20-year durability period can only be extended for use every three years if it passes a detailed diagnosis.

If old equipment is falsely registered, it will not undergo inspections according to the manufacturing year, increasing the risk of accidents and posing a significant threat to construction site safety.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport detected equipment suspected of false manufacturing years through the Korea Construction Equipment Safety Management Institute, the tower crane management agency, by receiving inspection agency data, complaints, and reports since early this year.

The Safety Management Institute identified a total of 317 pieces of equipment suspected of false manufacturing years, including those registered as manufactured after the equipment was discontinued or with discrepancies between the serial number and manufacturing date, and after a first investigation including confirmation of the manufacturing year from domestic and overseas manufacturers by last month, finalized 188 units.

For equipment suspected of false manufacturing years, the competent local governments will require owners to submit manufacturing certificates and undergo a clarification process, and with the cooperation of the Safety Management Institute, will determine illegality and take action.

If determined to be false manufacturing years, it constitutes a violation of the "Construction Machinery Management Act" by falsely registering construction machinery, and the competent local government must cancel the registration of the equipment ex officio.

If the manufacturing year is falsely recorded or the clarification process is not conducted and false manufacturing years are confirmed later, strict measures such as prosecution will be taken after reviewing the owner's responsibility.

Kim Gwang-rim, Director of the Construction Industry Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "Proper inspection and management are very important for tower cranes to be used safely on site," and added, "We will continue to eradicate illegal activities including false manufacturing years."

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