What should I do if the manhole cover makes abnormal noise or collapses? National standards for inspection manhole cover operation and maintenance services officially released

China News Service, October 12. According to the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation, the State Administration for Market Regulation (State Standards Administration) recently approved the release of the national standard "Urban Public Facilities Inspection Manhole Cover Operation and Maintenance Service Specifications" (GB/T 48259-2026). This standard focuses on the outstanding risks of "small manhole covers and big people's livelihood" in the city. It aims at potential safety hazards such as missing manhole covers, subsidence, abnormal noise, and overturning, and unifies the full-process service requirements for the operation and maintenance of manhole covers in urban public areas, providing technical support to ensure the safe travel of the people and improve the level of refined management of urban public facilities.

The standard focuses on the four core operation and maintenance links of inspection, emergency response, repair and maintenance, and file management. It also clarifies the operational and maintenance technical provisions that can be implemented in response to the various hidden dangers of manhole covers that are highlighted when traveling by the public. The first is to consolidate the bottom line of inspections. It is clear that daily inspections of manhole covers in regular areas should be carried out at least once a week, and high-risk areas such as densely populated and high-grade roads should be inspected intensively. Internal inspections of manhole covers should be opened no less than once every six months to detect loosening and damage to the well body in advance. The second is to clarify the time limit for emergency response. Establish a 24-hour duty mechanism. If a manhole cover is missing or is in danger of collapse, warning protection must be deployed as soon as possible. After receiving a repair report, the handling personnel will arrive at the scene within 2 hours, and repairs and restoration of major dangers will be completed within 6 hours. The third is to refine maintenance requirements. Quantitative indicators are made for the height difference between the well seat and the road surface, the repair of the well perimeter, and the installation height of the manhole cover in the green belt, and targeted solutions to common problems such as abnormal noise in the manhole cover and tripping, settlement and cracking around the well, etc. The fourth is to implement file traceability management. Promote "one cover, one file", establish paper and electronic ledgers, completely retain location, material, inspection and maintenance records, and realize the traceability of the entire process of manhole cover operation and maintenance.

In the next step, the State Administration for Market Regulation (National Standards Administration) will work with relevant parties to carry out standards publicity and implementation training, promote the implementation of standards and effectively protect people’s travel safety, and help build resilient cities and smart cities.