'Safety Negligence' Serious at New Construction Sites in Gyeonggi Province... Gyeonggi Fire Department Catches 45 Cases

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] It has been revealed that one out of four new construction sites in Gyeonggi Province stores unauthorized hazardous materials or fails to install temporary fire safety facilities during welding work, violating safety-related regulations.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters announced on the 23rd that, as a result of a crackdown on illegal activities conducted on the 19th targeting 193 new construction sites in the Gyeonggi area, 45 sites (23%) were found to be non-compliant. Actions taken included filing charges (2 cases), imposing fines (29 cases), and issuing corrective orders (28 cases).

Among the main violations, a new construction site A in the province was caught storing epoxy thinner for floor waterproofing (Class 4, petroleum product) at 3.2 times the designated quantity (200ℓ).

Construction site B did not install temporary fire safety facilities such as emergency alarm devices at the welding work area, and construction site C was fined for failing to install portable fire extinguishers on all floors of the site.

Additionally, there were construction sites that did not assign fire watchers during welding operations.

Under the current Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, anyone who stores or handles hazardous materials exceeding the designated quantity is subject to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million KRW.

Furthermore, according to the Fire Safety Facilities Act, those who fail to install, maintain, or manage temporary fire safety facilities are subject to a fine of up to 3 million KRW.

Earlier, the Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters mobilized 506 personnel in 193 teams to focus on cracking down on ▲ installation, maintenance, and management of temporary fire safety facilities such as portable fire extinguishers and evacuation guidance lines ▲ acts causing obstruction in evacuation routes ▲ unauthorized handling of hazardous materials.

Choi Byung-il, head of the Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters, stated, "To prevent large-scale fires at major construction sites in the province, we will continue regular inspections of 256 related construction sites."

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