Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) on the 15th urged POSCO to expand safety investments at hazardous worksites. This follows the death of a worker who fell at the Sinansan Line double-track railroad construction site built by POSCO E&C on the 9th. (Related article ☞ Subcontracted worker falls to death at Sinansan Line construction site… labor ministry launches investigation)
The Minister held a meeting at the Government Complex Sejong that day with POSCO Group leadership, including Chairman Chang In-hwa. At the meeting, the Minister called for the headquarters to expand safety investments for hazardous worksites, improve job security and low pay for on-site safety and health managers, and provide safety management support to partner companies.
In response, Chairman Chang said the company will increase the safety budget and make the safety personnel at the Sinansan Line site full-time employees. He also said the company will reexamine safety management systems at all sites, including gathering on-site feedback, to prevent the same type of accident from recurring.
The Minister said, "All members of management must recognize that a safe workplace is a condition for a corporation's survival," adding, "As a global company leading the South Korean economy, please be reborn as a model of safety management befitting that status."