Korean Air Lines said on the 20th that it carried out a joint labor-management safety and health inspection. Ahead of the launch of the integrated airline, the move is intended to proactively respond to changes in the organization and work environment and prevent risk factors that could arise during maintenance.
The inspection took place at the Korean Air Lines aircraft maintenance hangar in Jung District, Incheon. Attendees included Yoo Jong-seok, executive vice president overseeing safety and health and the operations institutional sector at Korean Air Lines; Jeong Chan-woo, head of maintenance at Korean Air Lines; and Jo Young-nam, Chairperson of the Korean Air Lines labor union, among others.
After a field briefing and listening to workers' difficulties in the Incheon inspection and maintenance team office, the attendees sequentially inspected major maintenance sites, including the engine support unit, hangar, airframe repair shop, and the automated warehouse for storing aircraft parts and materials.
In the hangar where heavy maintenance on an Airbus 380 was underway that day, a focused inspection was conducted on the state of safety management for high-risk processes such as scaffolding, cabins, and confined spaces. They then met with partner companies to discuss ways to spread a safety culture.
At the airframe repair shop, they checked the management status of hazardous and dangerous machinery such as cutters and processing equipment, the use of protective gear, and the current use of chemicals. In the automated warehouse, they inspected measures to prevent entrapment accidents, the management of fire protection facilities, and whether emergency evacuation routes were obstructed.
Through this inspection, Korean Air Lines plans to have labor and management jointly identify and improve on-site risk factors, proactively respond to the government's strengthened safety policies, and establish a worker-centered safety culture.
Executive Vice President Yoo Jong-seok said, "Ahead of the launch of the integrated airline, 'absolute safety' is the top value that cannot be compromised under any circumstances," adding, "Labor and management will be one team and create a healthy workplace where, even amid changing conditions, not only aircraft safety but also workers can work safely."