The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced a “Construction Site Fall Accident Prevention Plan” as part of its efforts to tackle construction site fatalities, where more than half of the deaths are caused by falls. The plan includes comprehensive improvements to design standards, standard specifications, and cost estimation related to fall accidents. The government aims to encourage companies to implement self-managed safety measures, strengthen safety manuals, and introduce safety equipment.
In response to the ongoing safety issues, where approximately half of the construction fatalities in recent years have been due to falls, the government will resume disclosing the list of major construction companies where fatalities have occurred, which was initially halted in 2023. This information will be integrated into construction companies’ construction capability and management evaluations.
The announcement revealed that of the 207 construction-related fatalities last year, 106 were attributed to falls, primarily occurring on scaffolds, roofs, steel structures, and elevated work platforms. A notable proportion of these accidents happened at small sites with budgets under 5 billion KRW (42.7%) and large sites with budgets over 100 billion KRW (18.8%), most of which involved private and architectural construction projects.
To address the challenging conditions faced by the construction industry due to economic downturns, the government is putting emphasis on promoting voluntary safety management by companies. A legal basis will be established for disclosing the list of large construction firms (the top 100 as per construction capability evaluations) where fatalities have occurred.
Technical Safety Policy Director, Kim Tae-byeong, stated that alongside the list, the types of projects these companies are involved in, such as tunneling or reconstruction work, will be disclosed to raise awareness.
Safety management assessments of construction companies will incorporate the current status of fall accidents. CEOs of construction firms will be encouraged to conduct on-site inspections, and companies demonstrating concrete safety improvements, such as acquiring smart safety equipment, may receive bonus points during technical tender evaluations.
The government plans to revise design standards and standard specifications for scaffolds, roofs, and skylights, which are vulnerable to fall accidents. New guidelines for setting up working stairs on temporary scaffolding and permissible standards for pathways between scaffolds and structures will be pursued.
Revisions will be made to the cost estimation criteria for scaffolding installation and dismantling, taking into account the difficulty and conditions of the work to ensure safety. The introduction of standard contract clauses for crane operation according to the prime contractor’s work plan will also be established to prevent unscheduled work and associated safety risks.
Existing laws, such as the Construction Technology Promotion Act, will be amended to extend the safety design reviews required for public works to private projects. This includes improving guidelines for reviewing and correcting designs related to safety facilities and high-risk work types.
For small-scale construction projects that include high-risk work, a fine will be imposed if the contractor fails to establish a “Small-scale Safety Management Plan” outlining necessary construction procedures and precautions before starting work.
The government will provide financial support for purchasing safety equipment, such as smart air vests, to small construction companies with fewer than 50 employees, amounting to 35 billion KRW.
Site inspections will be intensified with unannounced special joint inspections by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and relevant agencies to address poor construction and inadequate safety management. In case of a fall accident, construction companies must conduct their on-site inspections across all locations and submit results and preventive measures. If these measures are inadequate, the government will initiate a special inspection.