Seoul City Conducts Joint Inspections at 127 Excavation Sites Over 10 Meters Deep

Inspections Conducted at 51 Sites Through August, 76 More in the Second Half
City: "Establishing a Reliable Underground Safety Network"

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is conducting underground safety inspections at excavation sites with a depth of 10 meters or more. The city is checking the management status of retaining walls and water-blocking construction methods, and is requiring immediate improvements for any issues identified.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government on November 4, the inspections target 127 excavation sites within Seoul that are subject to underground safety evaluations under the Special Act on Underground Safety Management, with excavation depths of 10 meters or more and ongoing excavation work.

Safety railings installed at a construction site as a measure by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Seoul Metropolitan Government

Since 2020, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been conducting joint inspections of excavation sites. In 2023, the inspection method was changed from a sampling survey to a full survey. For this year, joint expert inspections are being carried out from April to December, divided into the first and second halves, to examine the overall status of underground safety management at all excavation sites.

The inspections involve experts from the Underground Safety Advisory Group operated by the city’s Underground Safety Division, as well as officials from the project licensing department and underground safety departments of district offices. Reflecting requests from district offices, the city prioritized inspections at 51 sites in the first half of the year, and is continuing with inspections at the remaining 76 sites in the second half.

The inspection team checks the progress of excavation work and the status of underground safety management in surrounding areas, including whether the requirements of the underground safety evaluation consultation are being met, issues related to underground safety investigations after construction begins, and the management of monitoring equipment. In particular, during the first half of the year, the team identified 242 cases that were assessed as either potentially threatening underground safety or lacking adequate site safety management. Of these, 192 cases (79%) were required to be addressed immediately.

The city also plans to monitor the implementation of the remaining 50 cases that require more time for improvement. Major issues identified include insufficient management of ground stability for retaining walls or water-blocking construction methods (84 cases), inadequate management of monitoring equipment protection and locking devices (39 cases), lack of safety nets and other deficiencies in site safety management (98 cases), and other issues (21 cases).

Han Byungyong, Director of Disaster and Safety at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "Ground subsidence accidents that result in casualties often occur near excavation sites. We will establish an underground safety network that citizens can trust by continuing regular inspections of excavation sites and conducting periodic ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys."

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