"Rainy Season Approaching"... Ministry of Land to Inspect Safety at 3,000 Construction Sites Including Excavations

Joint Inspection by 12 Organizations

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on June 3 that it will conduct joint safety inspections at approximately 3,000 construction sites nationwide over a two-month period from June 4 to July 31 in preparation for the rainy season.

The inspections aim to prevent recurring accidents at construction sites during the rainy season in June and July, when rainfall is expected to exceed average levels. These include slope collapses, soil erosion, and tower crane overturning.

A total of 12 organizations, including the Ministry and five Regional Land Offices, as well as Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH), National Railway Authority, Korea Expressway Corporation, Korea Airports Corporation, Incheon International Airport Corporation, and the Korea Infrastructure Safety & Technology Corporation, will participate in the inspections with around 900 personnel.

Underground space complex development construction site. Photo by Dongjoo Yoon

The inspections will focus on small- and medium-sized sites and essential infrastructure for citizens, where management and supervision may be relatively weak. Of the approximately 3,000 construction sites subject to inspection, 57% are small-scale sites with a construction cost of less than 5 billion won, accounting for more than half. By purpose, social overhead capital (SOC) sites make up the largest share at 51%, followed by apartment complexes at 26% and general buildings at 23%.

The Ministry plans to pay particular attention to urban excavation sites, slopes and cuttings, retaining walls, and embankments. Joint inspections with private experts will be carried out at sites undergoing excavation or earth retaining work, as well as at large-scale excavations deeper than 10 meters. Other construction sites operated by companies that experienced fatal accidents in the first quarter of this year will also be specially inspected.

Key inspection items include the maintenance of drainage facilities, the establishment of flood prevention measures, the risk of slope failure, whether concrete is being poured during rainfall, and measures to prevent tower crane overturning.

If poor construction or inadequate safety management is discovered during the inspections, the Ministry plans to take appropriate actions according to relevant laws, including penalty points, fines, and requests for investigation.

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