Gwangju Seobu Fire Department Promotes Mandatory Appointment of Fire Safety Managers at Construction Sites

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] The Gwangju Western Fire Station announced that it will promote the mandatory appointment system of fire safety managers at construction sites following the enforcement of the "Act on Fire Prevention and Safety Management" starting this December.

Following a series of major fires such as last year's Coupang logistics warehouse fire in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and this year's collapse accident at Hwajeong I-Park in Gwangju, the purpose of this legal amendment is to prevent similar accidents and strengthen safety management at construction sites.

The appointment targets construction sites undergoing new construction or modifications (extension, reconstruction, relocation, change of use, major repairs) after December 1, with a total floor area of 15,000㎡ or more, or with a total floor area of 5,000㎡ or more if they have two or fewer basement floors, eleven or more above-ground floors, or are refrigerated warehouses.

The appointed fire safety manager must perform duties including ▲preparing fire safety plans for the construction site ▲supervising the installation and management of temporary fire-fighting facilities ▲securing and managing evacuation routes at each stage of construction progress ▲providing fire safety education and training to construction workers ▲supervising fire handling, permitting and managing fire-risk work.

A fire official stated, “We hope that interest and safety management among those involved in construction sites will be further strengthened in accordance with the amendment of related laws, and we will continuously promote related matters so that construction personnel can appoint and report within the designated period.”

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