Large Aerial Work Platforms Capable of Reaching Over 100 Meters Introduced to Construction Sites

▲ Large aerial work platform

Large aerial work platforms capable of operating at heights of over 100 meters, such as those needed for semiconductor clusters and wind power plants, will be introduced.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 10th that large aerial work platforms with a gross weight exceeding 40 tons will be newly designated as special construction machinery under the Construction Machinery Management Act.

The relevant notice will take effect from the 11th.

Recently, at construction sites for semiconductor clusters, artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and ultra-large wind turbines, there have been limitations in performing ultra-high-rise work using only existing construction machinery such as cranes, raising the need to introduce large aerial work platforms.

Currently, aerial work platforms commonly known as sky cars are registered and used as special automobiles at construction sites.

However, large aerial work platforms with a gross weight exceeding 40 tons faced difficulties in site deployment because vehicle registration was practically impossible due to operating restrictions under the Road Act, and they did not fall under the category of construction machinery.

In response, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport additionally designated large aerial work platforms exceeding 40 tons in gross weight as special construction machinery and established detailed standards for specifications and licenses.

Large aerial work platforms must have a rated working load of 0.5 tons or more, a gross weight exceeding 40 tons, and must be capable of being disassembled for transport.

There is no restriction on the working height, and they can be used at sites after undergoing type approval and new registration inspection.

Operating the equipment requires a crane operator license for construction machinery, and when transporting the equipment by disassembling it to 40 tons or less, it can be driven on roads with a Class 1 large driver's license.

Kim Sung-hwan, head of the Construction Industry Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We expect that the introduction of large aerial work platforms will improve the safety and efficiency of constructing ultra-high-rise and large buildings as well as maintaining existing structures."

(Photo courtesy of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Yonhap News)

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