Scaffolding removal, structural overload caused building to collapse

Social Affairs

Published: 25 Jan. 2022, 19:02

Scaffolding removal, structural overload caused building to collapse

Emergency workers remove debris from the 30th floor of a 39-story apartment building under construction in Gwangju on Tuesday. The building's facade partially collapsed on Jan. 11 as workers were pouring concrete on the rooftop. [YONHAP]

Police on Tuesday pointed to the early removal of scaffolding and structural overload as the causes of the deadly collapse of an apartment building under construction in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Jan. 11, which left one worker dead and five missing.

In their announcement of the results of the preliminary probe into the collapse, the Gwangju Metropolitan Police said that the premature removal of scaffolding on Dec. 29 from the 36th and 37th floors of the 39-story apartment block, and later the removal of scaffolding on Jan. 8 from the 38th floor, led to the Jan. 11 collapse of a vertical section of the building’s facade as construction workers were pouring concrete on the roof.

Police said the weight of additional concrete exacerbated the existing structural overload brought on by the installation of permanent solid concrete beams directly under the roof, which had replaced scaffolding which could later be removed.

The roof was planned to hold a guest house and a garden, among other facilities for use by future residents of the apartment block.

The beams, approximately 30-40 centimeters (1-1.3 feet) thick and weighing a total of 40 to 50 tons, were installed under the space intended for the flower bed by Hyundai Development Company (HDC) and another construction company subcontracted to carry out the work.

HDC is the same company whose workers are currently on trial for a construction accident, also in Gwangju, seven months ago that killed nine and injured eight.

Only the segment of the rooftop weighed down by the beams — and the corresponding lower-story sections underneath it — crumbled, while the other part of the rooftop remained intact, leading police to focus on whether HDC conducted structural integrity checks before installing the beams.

Gwangju police said they plan to summon HDC officials in charge of the project to question them about the reasons for the early removal of scaffolding from lower floors, and also to probe whether the company had properly verified the safety of installing concrete beams before the concrete was poured on the rooftop.

Police also booked an official from the subcontractor for violating construction laws, which mandate that scaffolding remain in place until concrete pouring is complete on higher floors.

An official from the subcontracting company said that the lower-story scaffolding was removed in accordance with a directive from HDC, according to police, who believe that HDC illegally removed scaffolding below the roof to hasten the completion of interior spaces in the apartment.

Six workers went missing when the outer wall of the building from the 38th to 23rd floor collapsed.

One worker was discovered dead near the handrail of stairs on the first basement floor of the building, while the other five remain unaccounted for.

HDC’s chairman, Chung Mong-gyu, announced his resignation from his post on Jan. 17 in response to the accident.

Officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the National Police Agency conducted a joint raid of the developer’s headquarters in central Seoul on Jan. 19, as part of several probes into other possible violations of safety regulations.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]