Gyeonggi Province to Deploy 'Smart Safety Equipment' at Mid-Size Construction Sites Under 30 Billion Won

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province announced on the 3rd that it will pilot 'smart safety equipment,' previously applied only to large-scale construction projects over 30 billion won, at the 'Namhansanseong Historical and Cultural Center Construction Project,' a mid and small-scale public building project, to prevent major accidents.

Smart safety equipment refers to safety devices utilizing advanced technology, including 'smart safety helmets' that alert workers through vibration or voice when dangerous situations are anticipated, 'mobile speakers' that sound alarms when workers approach hazardous areas, and measuring instruments that detect retaining wall inclination through movement and angle.

According to the 'Guidelines for Fall Prevention based on the Comprehensive Measures to Prevent Fall Accidents at Construction Sites' established by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in March 2020, smart safety equipment is mandatory for construction projects over 30 billion won.

Gyeonggi Province explained that following the enforcement of the 'Serious Disaster Punishment Act' on January 27 this year, it decided to operate smart safety equipment at mid and small-scale public building construction sites to reduce construction accident rates.

The first application target is the 'Namhansanseong Historical and Cultural Center Construction Project,' covering an area of 2,963㎡ (one underground floor and two above-ground floors) in Namhansanseong-myeon, Gwangju City, with a project cost of 14.7 billion won. Construction began in December last year, with completion scheduled for August 2023.

The smart safety equipment recently introduced at the Gwangju City construction site includes smart safety helmets, beacons (location signal transmitters), worker and manager applications, closed-circuit (CC)TV, and measuring instruments—all integrated with a unified control system.

This enables real-time on-site monitoring, early recognition of hazardous factors, and immediate response.

Moving forward from this initial application, the province plans to actively promote smart safety equipment and expand its application to public construction projects.

Han Dae-hee, director of Gyeonggi Province's Construction Division, said, "We expect smart safety equipment deployment to significantly help prevent safety accidents," and added, "We will do our utmost to promote the distribution of smart safety equipment so that construction can proceed in an even safer environment."