2732 Construction Site Fires in 5 Years... Emergency Safety Inspections Conducted

Prevention of Similar Accidents at the Busan Banyan Tree Construction Site
National Fire Agency Launches Four-Week Emergency Inspection of Large Construction Sites

Amid the fire at the new Banyan Tree construction site in Gijang-gun, Busan, which resulted in six deaths, it has been revealed that over 2,000 similar construction site fires have occurred in the past five years. Fire authorities will conduct investigations focusing on large construction sites to prevent such fires.

The National Fire Agency announced that from the 18th of this month to the 17th of next month, a four-week nationwide emergency fire safety inspection will be conducted targeting large construction sites to prevent similar incidents like the fire at the Busan Banyan Tree construction site.

The inspection targets include ▲sites where construction periods are expected to be shortened to meet business opening deadlines ▲construction sites with large amounts of combustible materials such as urethane foam (insulation) and plywood (temporary walls) ▲sites with many high fire-risk processes such as welding, cutting, and grinding ▲and other sites analyzed or judged to have a high risk of fire.

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The authorities plan to focus on inspecting whether evacuation and fire prevention facilities have been damaged, whether evacuation routes are secured, confirmation of fire facility construction commencement reports and supervisor designation, compliance with temporary fire safety standards, supervision of fire handling by fire safety managers, and restrictions on fire handling activities such as welding in combustible material handling areas. They also plan to conduct joint inspections with related agencies such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

According to the National Fire Information System of the National Fire Agency, a total of 2,732 construction site fires occurred from 2020 to 2024. By year, there were 599 cases in 2020, 559 in 2021, 657 in 2022, 516 in 2023, and 401 last year, averaging 546 fires annually.

Over five years, casualties from construction site fires amounted to 46 deaths and 202 injuries. In the Busan Banyan Tree construction site fire, six people died and 27 were injured. During the same period, property damage from construction site fires was estimated at 68.68299 billion KRW.

The leading cause of fires was "carelessness," accounting for 75% (2,049 cases). Electrical causes accounted for 12.8% (351 cases), unknown causes 6.6% (179 cases), mechanical causes 2.5% (69 cases), and chemical causes 1.2% (34 cases). Among fires caused by carelessness, the majority were due to welding, cutting, and grinding (63.4%), followed by cigarette butts (12.6%), equipment use (7.0%), and leaving embers, flames, or fire sources unattended (5.9%).

To prevent such construction site fires, spark prevention covers and welding fire blankets must be installed to prevent sparks from entering insulation materials during welding or cutting work. Additionally, essential firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers should be provided for fire prevention and initial response, and flammable materials around the worksite should be removed in advance.

Furthermore, since many construction sites lack proper fire facilities, workers should familiarize themselves with emergency evacuation routes in advance to prepare for any accidents. Smoking should be restricted to designated areas, and fire handling should be prohibited in locations where explosions or fires may occur.

Lee Young-pal, Deputy Director of the National Fire Agency, stated, "Following recent construction site fires causing multiple casualties, we will continue to conduct fire safety inspections and provide education to strengthen safety management at construction sites." He added, "We will also carry out continuous education and publicity to establish a culture of voluntary safety management."

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