JAUE2018-071 A Study on the South Korea Safety Management System for Workers Against Environmental Hazardous Factors in the Construction Demolition Field

Abstract

South Korea has an increasing number of dilapidated and low-quality structures (“Old Buildings”) in recent 4 years. Improving such buildings requires a series of function-upgrading works that include demolishing Old Buildings and replacing with new ones. When buildings are torn down, workers are mobilized into the sites and carry out process-specific demolition activities. Modern construction materials are made not from natural materials but from various artificial composite ingredients. Hence, the workers are exposed to environmental hazards that are contained in the construction materials as demolition progresses. Worse still, air quality in demolition sites is affected by the environmental hazards because the sites are not located in a confined space regardless of the vague distinction lying between the definitions of indoor and outdoor sites. Of note, South Korea’s air quality in recent years is frequently aggravated by episodes of fine particles. This study thus aims to conduct a comprehensive examination of demolition site workers, environmental hazards, and fine particles and to ultimately investigate whether or not the country has prvided a system or systems to help reduce the damage being received by demolition workers.