A temporary walkway is still a structure: the Shaheen walkway collapse
Workers were injured when a temporary walkway between site cabins collapsed at the Shaheen project in Ulsan on 19 November 2025.
An injury incident on an access route
Reporting described the collapse of a route used by workers. Injury totals differ between accounts.
This is not presented as a fatal incident, and crowding alone does not establish the engineering cause.
Temporary does not mean unplanned
The support arrangement and intended use need to match actual conditions, including peak pedestrian traffic and carried materials. A sign cannot compensate for a route being used outside its assessed conditions.
Check your workplace
- Who confirmed its intended loading and use?
- Have supports or connections changed?
- Is an alternative route available?
Inspect more than the handrail
Report movement, settlement, damaged connections or removed members. Close access and direct people to an alternative route rather than improvising repairs or allowing one person at a time without assessment.
Control reopening
A repair is followed by the appropriate check and a clear decision to reopen. Communicate closures at shift change.
Following a collapse, do not climb onto unstable remains to attempt an improvised rescue.
Putting it into practice
On a report that the route is moving, close it upstream of the hazard and identify an alternative. Competent assessment determines when it can reopen.
Referenced scaffold guidance originates in the UK.
Technical insight
Inspect how a temporary walkway is supported
Decking is only one part of a walkway. Connections, supports and changed loading conditions also matter.
Record support, connection condition, deformation and intended use. If a walking route becomes a materials route, reassess the original assumptions rather than relying on past use.
Korean safety resources
- KOSHA · Scaffold work handbook: System scaffolds
Korean e-book, viewer p.172: loading, ties/bracing and movement between scaffold sections.
- KOSHA GUIDE A-G-12-2026 · Use and maintenance of personal protective equipment
Korean-language technical recommendations on PPE selection, training and maintenance; use alongside the product manual.
Sources
- 매일노동뉴스 · 샤힌 현장 임시 통로 붕괴대한민국 / South Korea
- HSE · 비계 / Scaffolds영국 지침 / UK guidance