Seoul will score demolition experience of on-site engineers after an overpass teardown killed three
Seoul's city government has proposed that, on city projects that tear down existing structures, firms competing for construction supervision work be scored on the demolition experience of the engineers they will actually send to the site. Comments are due Nov. 18.
The city published an administrative notice amending its detailed rules for scoring how well construction engineering firms can carry out work, JKN reported. Projects that dismantle existing facilities would become their own category. Today, reviewers weigh the assigned engineers' experience on big structures like bridges, tunnels, overpasses and subway lines. The draft adds a check on whether the people the firm actually assigns to the job have done demolition work, alongside the firm's overall record.
The rule follows the May 26 collapse during demolition of the Seosomun Overpass. Workers cutting concrete slabs over a rail line stopped around 2:30 a.m. after part of a slab sank 2.9 centimeters, The Korea Herald reported. During an inspection that began at 2 p.m., a girder appeared to break and part of the structure fell. Three men died: the site manager, the supervision team leader and an outside expert. The Herald reported at the time that the cause was under investigation.
The scoring change is part of a package Seoul announced Oct. 1, SBS reported. It calls for experts to review demolition designs before work starts, step-by-step video of cutting and lifting, and drones, robots or endoscopes in place of people when a structure sags or deforms. The city also said it would seek more working time over rail lines, now limited to about 2.5 hours a night.
Why it matters: Seoul will score the engineers a firm actually puts on site. US owners prequalifying demolition or bridge removal can ask bidders for the résumés of named field staff and lock those names into the contract.