▲ Emergency demolition work is underway at the collapse site of the Seosomun Overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, on May 29.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will comprehensively strengthen the safety management system for the demolition of aging bridges and overpasses.
This set of measures was prepared in the wake of the safety accident that occurred during the demolition of the Seosomun Overpass in May, and the city plans to implement applicable measures immediately ahead of government-wide institutional improvements.
First, safety management will be reinforced starting from the planning and design stages prior to the commencement of construction.
A preliminary verification procedure for the "demolition design" of civil engineering structures will be introduced. Experts will review whether there are any safety issues at each stage of dismantling the structure and conduct prior verification through construction technology deliberations.
For overpasses crossing over railways, work is currently limited to about 2 hours and 30 minutes per day at night when trains are not operating. Moving forward, the city plans to secure sufficient working time for safe demolition by consulting with relevant organizations such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail).
During the construction phase, selection criteria for supervision companies will be improved to ensure that sites are managed by technical personnel with extensive experience in demolition work.
This will be achieved by adding criteria that evaluate the "demolition work experience" of participating engineers in the Performance Evaluation (PQ).
Video recording management will also be strengthened for major processes, such as cutting or lifting structures.
In addition to the existing panoramic and continuous on-site monitoring, key processes requiring documentation will be designated during the demolition design review stage, and the work process will be recorded step by step.
Emergency response systems will be reinforced to enable a prompt response to abnormal signs.
If a structure sags or deforms, the situation will be immediately communicated to relevant organizations, followed by site control, emergency inspections, and urgent measures through meetings.
To prevent secondary accidents that may occur during direct manual inspections, "contactless unmanned inspections" utilizing drones, robots, and endoscopes will become the standard rule.
When direct inspection is unavoidable, only a minimum number of personnel will be deployed, and the city will promote the enrollment of workers in "worker disaster compensation liability insurance" through construction companies so that relevant professionals are included in coverage to protect them in the event of an accident.
Institutional support will also be expanded to ensure that the personnel and technology required for safety management are properly deployed on-site.
When calculating the design, supervision, and construction costs for demolition work, the city plans to generously reflect expenses necessary for safety management, such as structural condition verification and unmanned inspections.
Kim Yong-hak, Director General for Construction Engineering Policy at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said, "The structural state of aging civil engineering structures continuously changes during the demolition process," adding, "Through a preemptive safety management system, we will thoroughly block risk factors that may occur on-site."
He emphasized, "We will promptly apply measures that can be implemented immediately ahead of government institutional improvements to secure the safety of citizens and on-site workers as our top priority."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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