Government seeks to enhance safety 

 across construction sites and minimize fatal fall incidents.

On Mar. 14, 2023, a construction site for the redevelopment of dwellings in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul is being inspected by a construction site inspection team composed of officials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Seoul City, and Korean National Police Agency, examining the operation of tower cranes, etc. /Courtesy of Yonhap News

The government will gradually reduce falls, which account for more than half of construction site fatal accidents, by more than 10% each year. To this end, it will improve the systems for work prone to falls, such as scaffolding, roofs, and skylights. Even for small-scale construction, if a construction company does not establish and comply with a small-scale safety management plan when dangerous tasks are included, fines will be imposed. The disclosure of the list of construction companies involved in fatal accidents will be reconsidered.

The government also provides incentives for construction companies to voluntarily strengthen safety management. If a chief executive officer visits a construction site to conduct effective safety activities, additional points will be awarded during technical bidding.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 27th the ‘fall accident prevention measures for construction sites.’ This measure was prepared through a public-private joint task force (TF) consisting of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Construction Association of Korea, and the Korea Safety in Construction Association, which was formed in November of last year. Director General Kim Tae-byeong noted, "The government plans to gradually reduce construction site fall fatalities by more than 10% each year, with a vision of creating a safe construction environment where workers can work without worry and establishing a construction safety culture."

Falls account for more than half of the fatalities among construction site accidents. According to the Comprehensive Safety Management Information Network (CSI), among the 207 construction accident deaths last year, 106 (51.2%) were due to falls.

Graphic=Son Min-kyun

The tasks at construction sites that are vulnerable to falls include high-altitude work such as scaffolding (a temporary structure installed to facilitate work at heights), roofs, steel structures, and elevated work platforms. Falls occurred in about half of the accidents at small sites with budgets under 5 billion won, and accidents at large sites with budgets over 100 billion won accounted for 19% of the total. The risk of death due to falls was found to be high among older and foreign workers. The proportion of fatalities was high among workers with less than one year of experience and those with more than ten years of experience.

The government will improve systems related to tasks where falls frequently occur to reduce fall fatalities at construction sites. It will enhance national construction standards such as design criteria and standard specifications to prevent accidents in vulnerable tasks like scaffolding, roofs, and skylights. Standards that do not reflect actual worker behavior and are disconnected from site conditions will be adjusted to match on-site circumstances.

The government will establish a system to impose fines on construction companies if they include dangerous tasks in projects for buildings from 2 to 9 stories but do not establish and comply with a small-scale safety management plan. Previously, there were no penalties for construction companies that failed to establish a small-scale safety management plan, which led to low compliance.

On-site safety management will also be strengthened. To support the establishment of a self-discipline prevention system, aimed at identifying and improving hazardous factors, consulting for the safety and health system establishment targeted at small and medium construction companies will be expanded from 1,500 companies to 2,000 companies. Additionally, safety consulting for medium and small-sized sites will be increased from 1,200 locations to 1,300 locations. Safety process coaching for construction permits from permitting agencies to completion will increase from 100 sessions to 130 sessions.

Additionally, 35 billion won will be provided to support the purchase of smart safety equipment such as smart air vests for small construction companies with fewer than 50 employees. The free provision of smart safety equipment for medium and small sites with budgets under 30 billion won will also be expanded to more than 200 locations.

To strengthen the safety responsibilities of construction companies, the government will also reconsider the disclosure of the list of construction companies involved in fatalities, which was suspended in the fourth quarter of 2023. The status of fall accidents will be reflected in safety management level assessments for construction capability evaluations and management assessments at public institutions. Director General Kim said, "We are aiming not just to disclose the list but to reveal what projects the companies are working on so that this system becomes a strong deterrent for construction companies."

Through cooperation with construction companies, the government will promote a voluntary safety culture. The government will act to reflect any practical safety management enhancement effect during evaluations for technical bidding if the chief executive officer of the construction company visits the site to ensure worker safety.

Director General Kim noted, "To prevent falls, it is more effective for the chief executive officers and executives of construction companies to take interest and directly visit the site to confirm the safety of workers in high-risk tasks than any system improvements or support," adding that "this year, GS Engineering and Construction conducted its opening ceremony on-site with its CEO and had headquarters executives stationed at each site for two weeks, emphasizing safety awareness, resulting in no fatalities or injuries during that period."

Inspections to prevent accidents and mitigate recurrence will also be strengthened. Special joint inspections will be conducted with relevant agencies to take strict measures against poor construction and inadequate safety management. During site inspections, supervisors, construction companies, and inspectors will personally verify the safety of the system scaffolding and will also focus on inspecting the provision and usage of protective equipment. In the event of a fall accident, the head office of the construction company will be required to conduct self-inspections across all sites and submit the inspection results and measures for preventing recurrence. The government will review this and carry out special inspections for sites found to be inadequate.

Even after the announcement of the measures, the government will continue to operate the dedicated task force for fall prevention until June, monitoring trends in fall accidents and construction site developments. Additional measures will be prepared if necessary.