Establishment of Standards for the Elevated Heliports to Ensure Safety

Abstract

Helicopters that can respond rapidly to medical accidents are used frequently on sites that require firefighting and medical services. Therefore, Korea recommends that high-rise buildings install heliports for easy evacuation through an alteration to the Building Act. However, because heliport installation laws are inconsistent with the specifications of each heliport on high-rise buildings being different, helicopter landing in emergencies may be hindered. This may result in failure to respond to an accident. To minimize complications, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determine helicopter take-off and landing regulations as well as heliport operations. This method minimizes human error in pilots and allows for the maintenance of facilities, minimizing technical errors. Therefore, this study investigates the current status of domestic rooftop heliports and attempts to derive measures that improve domestic legislation through comparison with overseas standards to identify higher standards.