○ Trial run to be launched at KRW 14.7 billion construction site of Namhansanseong Museum of History and Culture
– Current law requires mandatory application only at large construction sites valued at over KRW 30 billion
○ Aim is to utilize smart safety equipment at small- to medium-sized public building construction sites
– Expected to prevent serious industrial accidents

Gyeonggi Province announced on May 3 that it will introduce smart safety equipment – previously required only at large-scale construction sites valued at more than KRW 30 billion – to the Namhansanseong Museum of History and Culture construction site, a small- to medium-sized public building project.

Smart safety equipment refers to personal protective equipment (or “PPE”) embedded with advanced technologies. This includes smart safety helmets that warn workers of potential hazards through sound and vibration, mobile speakers that alert workers when they approach dangerous areas, and instruments that measure retaining wall slopes by detecting motion and angles.

In March 2020, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Fall Prevention Guidelines, in accordance with the Comprehensive Measures to Prevent Fall Accidents at Construction Sites, mandated the utilization of smart PPE at construction sites valued at over KRW 30 billion.

Gyeonggi Province added that it has decided to introduce smart PPE at small- to medium-sized public building construction sites so as to reduce industrial accidents at such sites following the implementation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act this past January 27.

The first construction site to see such smart PPE utilization was that of the Namhansanseong Museum of History and Culture, which has a gross floor area of 2,963 square meters (1 basement level and 2 aboveground floors), in Namhansanseong-myeon of Gwangju City. Construction of the museum commenced last December with completion slated for August 2023 at a total cost of KRW 14.7 billion.

Smart PPE recently used at the Gwangju construction site includes smart helmets, beacons (location finders), an app for workers and managers, surveillance cameras, and measuring instruments, all of which are connected to a control system, This enables the real-time monitoring of the site, preemptive recognition of risks, and immediate responses.

Starting from this first application, Gyeonggi Province plans to actively promote the use of smart PPE and expand utilization to other public construction sites.

Han Dae-hui, head of the Gyeonggi Province Construction Headquarters, said, “The introduction of smart PPE is expected to greatly aid in the prevention of industrial accidents. We will do our utmost to supply smart PPE so as to ensure safety at construction sites.”