Ministry doubles safety inspections at marine construction sites to twice a year

The government will double the frequency of on-site safety inspections at specially managed marine construction projects — including harbors and fishing ports — from once to twice a year. Starting this year, the inspection scope will also expand from selective checks of major projects to a full review of all sites under special management, strengthening construction quality and safety oversight.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced Sunday that it will conduct intensive inspections of 46 specially managed marine and fisheries construction sites from Monday through Oct. 30.

Projects subject to special management include those with construction costs of 30 billion won ($22.1 million) or more, low-bid contracts awarded at below 70 percent of the estimated price, and projects involving construction processes deemed safety risks. Also included are projects that the contracting authority has determined require ongoing oversight to ensure quality and prevent accidents.

The 46 sites under review include the revetment construction project at the dredged soil disposal area (Zone 3, Section 1) at Busan Port's Jinhae New Port. By facility type, the sites comprise 25 harbor facilities, 13 fishing ports, five road projects, two coastal maintenance sites and one building project.

The ministry will deploy its Central Quality and Safety Management Corps — composed of outside private-sector experts and ministry civil servants — in 10 teams across the sites. The teams will comprehensively examine construction quality and safety management practices, the progress of construction project management work, and follow-up actions taken on issues flagged in previous inspections and whether those issues have recurred.

The ministry has strengthened its inspection approach this year. It increased the frequency from once to twice annually and replaced the previous practice of selecting only major projects for review with a full inspection of all specially managed sites.

Each year, the ministry assembles the Central Quality and Safety Management Corps with private-sector experts in harbor construction, civil engineering and safety, along with ministry civil servants, to inspect specially managed projects overseen by 11 regional maritime affairs and fisheries offices and four port authorities nationwide.

Kong Du-pyo, director general of the ministry's Port Bureau, said the inspections would "proactively identify and address potential hazards at construction sites, helping to prevent accidents and raise construction quality." He added that the ministry would share best practices and findings from the inspections with regional offices nationwide to further strengthen quality and safety management systems.