Intensify the Management of structural safety of works following the school gate collapse incident in Lao Cai, Vietnam

To intensify the management of the structural safety of buildings, the Ministry of Construction of Vietnam requests the People's Committees of provinces and centrally affiliated cities to direct specialized local construction agencies to perform the following tasks:

- For gate pillars made of bricks: Inspect the gate pillars, and if any signs of danger are detected, necessary measures should be taken to ensure the safety of students. Attention should be given to the following details:

- Quickly inspect existing gate pillars according to preliminary dimensions:

-  If  the  width  and  weight  of  one  gate  wing  are  less  than  2.0m  and  lighter  than  85kg,  the  minimum  sectional  dimension  of  the  gate  pillar  should  be  450x450mm.

-  If  the  width  and  weight  of  one  gate  wing  are  less  than  2.5m  and  lighter  than  100kg,  the  minimum  sectional  dimension  of  the  gate  pillar  should  be  500x500mm.

-  If  the  width  and  weight  of  one  gate  wing  are  more  than  2.5m  and  heavier  than  100kg,  the  sectional  dimension  of  the  gate  pillar  must  be  recalculated.

- Conduct a visual inspection of the surrounding terrain, survey the outer surface of the gate pillars, etc., to identify safety signs such as tilting, sinking, cracking, breaking, etc., of the pillar body; phenomena such as dampness, crumbling bricks, mortar; door hinges not securely linked to the brick pillar, etc.

- Inspect using methods such as light shaking, light pushing, etc., to determine the condition of the pillar when subjected to unusual load impacts.

- For newly planned or reinforced gate pillars: intensify the management, construction, design, and supervision capabilities of organizations and individuals participating in construction activities, and the maintenance of buildings according to regulations; Encourage the design of gates with sliding wings or hinged doors with wheels.

More details can be found in Official Dispatch 4467/BXD-GD issued on September 15, 2020.

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