South Korean hot-work rules: Articles 240, 241 and fire-watch provisions
Identify the scope of each hot-work provision
Articles 240 and 241 do not replace one another. First identify the pipes or vessels and what contents may remain, then compare the location of the hot work and the applicable preparation and control requirements.
Fire-watch triggers in article 241-2 need separate consideration.
- Partition: consider conditions on the other side where heat may transfer.
- Opening: examine connected spark paths.
- Timber: identify visible combustible material when planning protection.
Distinguish the2019 scope change from later additions
Order273 in2019 renamed Article241 to hot-work precautions and changed paragraph2 from poorly ventilated internal locations to locations containing combustible material. Pre-work verification and written posting were added then. An older title should not be used to exclude outdoor work from the present scope.
Order321 in2021 specified watcher duties in a separate paragraph. Order450 in2025 added the blanket-certification sentence, effective2026-03-02. These changes appear together in the consolidated text but began at different times.
The full provisions below support condition-by-condition reading. Read the main paragraph and its proviso together. A workplace permit system may implement them, but invented form names or approval stages should not be presented as wording required by these articles.
- 1 Art. 240: contentsCheck both whether the pipe or vessel is out of use and whether residual material has been removed.
- 2 Art. 241: work areaCheck surrounding combustibles, sparks and ventilation separately from internal residue controls.
- 3 Art. 241(3)Verify controls before work to distinguish a completed permit from actual readiness.
- 4 Art. 241(4)Check the written-posting exception in its own paragraph and assess other preventive measures separately.
- 5 Art. 241-2Check fire-watch locations and their exception separately from any posting exemption.
Application conditions
| Condition | Provision to examine |
|---|---|
| Article240 | Contents |
| Article241 | Work, surroundings and posting |
| Article241-2 | Watcher and separate proviso |
Check possible residues in pipes and vessels
Article 240 addresses pipes and vessels where specified hazardous or flammable contents may be present, requiring preventive measures before hot work. “Unused” is not evidence that possible residues have been resolved.
Check your workplace
- Was potential residual material considered?
- Which paragraph covers this task and location?
- What verifies each control?
Separate vessel contents from the surrounding spark path
Article240 concerns pipes, tanks, drums and similar vessels that may contain dangerous substances or flammable oils or solids. Hot work must not be assigned before removal or other fire- and explosion-prevention measures. An out-of-service vessel or a tank described as empty still requires examination of that possibility.
Article241 addresses ventilation, combustibles, preparation and emergency measures. Paragraph1 prohibits using oxygen for ventilation where ventilation is inadequate. Paragraph2 sets six controls for hot work at locations containing combustible material. Substance removal and protection of the surrounding area do not replace one another.
Treating the pipe interior does not remove a combustible material on the other side of a heat-conducting wall. Covering the surroundings likewise does not establish removal of internal contents. The linked practical article explains actual connections and work boundaries.
Read the precautions in Article 241 together
Article 241 addresses the prohibition on using oxygen for ventilation; work procedures; information on hazardous substances; protection of combustibles and firefighting equipment; spark control; ventilation of residual gases; and emergency instruction. Welding blankets are subject to the specified performance-certification requirement, and pre-work verification and implementation of safety measures are also required.
The six controls lead to pre-work verification
Preparation and procedures connect to identifying dangerous substances used or stored at the work location. Looking only at the workpiece does not identify everything nearby. The same paragraph2 also covers combustible protection and extinguishing equipment, spark control, ventilation of residual vapours and gases, and fire-prevention and evacuation instruction.
Paragraph3 requires verification and implementation before work. Distinguish writing a list from completing the measures. A permit does not make absent extinguishers present or close a gap in spark protection. Documentation should describe actual verification rather than replace the controls.
If conditions change, paperwork alone cannot resolve them. Added combustibles or a newly opened passage change the assessed surroundings. Recheck whether the original measures still address the current location.
Sanctions
The provision-specific penalty and progressive fine amounts could not be verified; no amounts are stated here.
Apply exceptions only to the stated requirement
Written information on the work details, timing, inspections and measures must also be posted at the work location from the start to the end of the work, with the stated posting exception for continuing, repeated work in the same place. Do not extend that exception to other preventive measures.
Our review table pairs each applicable measure with actual evidence and a verifier.
Posting and fire-watcher exceptions have different conditions
Article241(4) requires written posting at the work location from start to finish, including work details, timing, inspections and measures. It permits omission of that posting for continuing, repeated hot work in the same place. This does not remove paragraph2 controls or paragraph3 pre-work verification.
The Article241-2 watcher proviso concerns repeated welding or cutting at the same location together with the specified alarm equipment, extinguishing installation or extinguisher. Reading only the repeated-work wording from the posting exception would merge two different tests. Assess each provision separately.
Watcher locations include conditions below the floor, through openings and across metal partitions or walls, not only nearby combustibles. A single11-metre circle does not reproduce the whole provision. Paragraph1(2) specifically combines the floor-below condition with the ignition potential of more distant material and needs its full wording.
Watcher duties include combustible-material checks, gas-detection and alarm operation, and evacuation guidance. There are also equipment provisions for a loudhailer, portable light and fire-escape mask. Merely having a person beside the work does not establish those functions and equipment.
Read the paths described, not only the distance
The watcher provision refers to interiors including openings, areas below floors and opposite faces of metal structures. Read those paths so conditions outside the welder’s immediate view are not missed. The diagram distinguishes paths; it is not an installation drawing establishing dimensions or a safe distance.
Article241-2(1)(2) includes both the floor below within an11-metre work radius and the ignition potential of combustible material11 metres or more away. Removing one number because the sentence is difficult would change its conditions. Compare the full wording with the actual arrangement.
Escape equipment supports the watcher’s assigned duties; its presence does not expand the role into hazardous rescue entry. Keep verification, evacuation guidance and emergency procedures clear. The related practical article discusses the actual surroundings in more detail.
Primary sources
Related tools and guidance
Articles 240, 241 and 241-2 in full — Korean statutory text
제240조( 유류 등이 있는 배관이나 용기의 용접 등) 사업주는 위험물, 위험물 외의 인화성 유류 또는 인화성 고체가 있을 우려가 있는 배관ㆍ탱크 또는 드럼 등의 용기에 대하여 미리 위험물 외의 인화성 유류, 인화성 고체 또는 위험물을 제거하는 등 폭발이나 화재의 예방을 위한 조치를 한 후가 아니면 화재위험작업을 시켜서는 아니 된다. <개정 2017. 3. 3., 2019. 12. 26.> 제241조(화재위험작업 시의 준수사항) ① 사업주는 통풍이나 환기가 충분하지 않은 장소에서 화재위험작업을 하는 경우에는 통풍 또는 환기를 위하여 산소를 사용해서는 아니 된다 . <개정 2017. 3. 3.> ② 사업주는 가연성물질이 있는 장소에서 화재위험작업을 하는 경우에는 화재예방에 필요한 다음 각 호의 사항을 준수하여야 한다. <개정 2017. 3. 3., 2019. 12. 26., 2025. 9. 1.> 1. 작업 준비 및 작업 절차 수립 2. 작업장 내 위험물의 사용ㆍ보관 현황 파악 3. 화기작업에 따른 인근 가연성물질에 대한 방호조치 및 소화기구 비치 4. 용접불티 비산방지덮개, 용접방화포 등 불꽃, 불티 등 비산방지조치 . 이 경우 용접방화포는 「소방시설 설치 및 관리에 관한 법률」 제40조 제1항 에 따라 성능인증을 받은 것을 사용해야 한다. 5. 인화성 액체의 증기 및 인화성 가스가 남아 있지 않도록 환기 등의 조치 6. 작업근로자에 대한 화재예방 및 피난교육 등 비상조치 ③ 사업주는 작업시작 전에 제2항 각 호의 사항을 확인하고 불꽃ㆍ불티 등의 비산을 방지하기 위한 조치 등 안전조치를 이행한 후 근로자에게 화재위험작업을 하도록 해야 한다. <신설 2019. 12. 26.> ④ 사업주는 화재위험작업이 시작되는 시점부터 종료 될 때까지 작업내용, 작업일시, 안전점검 및 조치에 관한 사항 등을 해당 작업장소에 서면으로 게시해야 한다. 다만, 같은 장소에서 상시ㆍ반복적으로 화재위험작업을 하는 경우에는 생략할 수 있다. <신설 2019. 12. 26.> [제목개정 2019. 12. 26.] 제241조의2(화재감시자) ① 사업주는 근로자에게 다음 각 호의 어느 하나에 해당하는 장소에서 용접ㆍ용단 작업을 하도록 하는 경우에는 화재감시자를 지정하여 용접ㆍ용단 작업 장소에 배치해야 한다. 다만, 같은 장소에서 상시ㆍ반복적으로 용접ㆍ용단작업을 할 때 경보용 설비ㆍ기구, 소화설비 또는 소화기가 갖추어진 경우에는 화재감시자를 지정ㆍ배치하지 않을 수 있다. <개정 2019. 12. 26., 2021. 5. 28.> 1. 작업반경 11미터 이내에 건물구조 자체나 내부 (개구부 등으로 개방된 부분을 포함한다)에 가연성물질이 있는 장소 2. 작업반경 11미터 이내의 바닥 하부에 가연성물질이 11미터 이상 떨어져 있지만 불꽃에 의해 쉽게 발화될 우려가 있는 장소 3. 가연성물질이 금속으로 된 칸막이ㆍ벽ㆍ천장 또는 지붕의 반대쪽 면에 인접해 있어 열전도나 열복사에 의해 발화될 우려가 있는 장소 ② 제1항 본문에 따른 화재감시자는 다음 각 호의 업무를 수행한다. <신설 2021. 5. 28.> 1. 제1항 각 호에 해당하는 장소에 가연성물질이 있는지 여부의 확인 2. 제232조 제2항 에 따른 가스 검지, 경보 성능을 갖춘 가스 검지 및 경보 장치의 작동 여부의 확인 3. 화재 발생 시 사업장 내 근로자의 대피 유도 ③ 사업주는 제1항 본문에 따라 배치된 화재감시자에게 업무 수행에 필요한 확성기, 휴대용 조명기구 및 화재 대피용 마스크(한국산업표준 제품이거나 「소방산업의 진흥에 관한 법률」 에 따른 한국소방산업기술원이 정하는 기준을 충족하는 것이어야 한다) 등 대피용 방연장비를 지급해야 한다. <개정 2021. 5. 28., 2022. 10. 18.> [본조신설 2017. 3. 3.]