Mandatory Appointment of Fire Safety Managers at Construction Sites to Be Enforced from December

Gangwon Fire Department, "Prior Verification of Qualification Requirements for Fire Safety Managers at Construction Sites Needed"

(Photo) Managers are conducting safety inspections at an apartment construction site. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] The Gangwon Provincial Fire Department announced on the 12th that "with the enforcement of the 'Act on Fire Prevention and Safety Management' starting December 1, the appointment of fire safety managers at construction sites will be mandatory."

According to the Fire Department, construction sites applying for permits or reporting new construction after December 1 with a total floor area of 15,000㎡ or more, or sites with a total floor area of 5,000㎡ or more that have two or fewer basement floors or 11 or more above-ground floors, as well as cold storage and combined cold and refrigerated warehouses, will be subject to fire safety management.

Fire safety managers are responsible for tasks such as ▲preparing fire safety plans ▲supervising the installation and management of temporary fire facilities ▲securing and managing evacuation routes at each stage of construction ▲providing fire safety education and training to workers ▲supervising the handling of fire sources ▲permitting and managing fire-risk work ▲establishing, operating, and educating on initial response systems.

Accordingly, construction contractors must appoint a fire safety manager when reporting the start of fire facility construction work and must notify the Korea Fire Safety Institute within 14 days from the date of appointment.

Failure to appoint a fire safety manager at the construction site will result in a fine of up to 3 million KRW, and failure to report the appointment within the designated period will incur a penalty of up to 2 million KRW.

Previously, the National Fire Agency promoted the mandatory appointment system for fire safety managers at construction sites following a series of large fires at large logistics warehouses and cold storage facilities, leading to the promulgation of the related law in November last year.

Yong Seok-jin, Head of the Prevention and Safety Division, urged, "Please check the qualification requirements for appointing fire safety managers at construction sites in advance to avoid penalties or fines for failing to report the appointment."

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