GS Group chief stresses 'safety-first' management

By Park Jin-hai

Huh Chang-soo GS Group Chairman

GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo said on Wednesday that “safety-first” management is essential for future growth of the group.

At an in-house “GS Value Creation Forum” at its headquarters in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, Huh said that safety issues should not just be the responsibility of a few people in managerial positions.

He said the group must also learn lessons from the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry.

“Safety is something everybody should keep at all costs. The safety-first principle should be incorporated into our corporate culture,” he said.

The forum is an annual event for the group where some 400 CEOs and senior staffers share their yearly achievements and cases of innovative management.

“Preventing and eliminating the possible causes of accidents is important. But, equally important is the after-the­incident emergency system,” he said. “In the event of an accident, we should judge the situation based on facts and urgently respond to it at the site. That is the way we can recover confidence from outsiders.”

In February, its affiliate GS Caltex came under fire when a Singaporean oil tanker crashed into the refiner’s pipelines, leaking a massive amount of oil off the southern coast.

At the time, the public blamed the company since its initial response came late and was unprofessional. The regional plant manager was arrested on charges of repeatedly underreporting and covering up the accident.

After the event, Huh visited the construction site for GS Donghae Electric Power in Gangwon Province. He again stressed there that moving up the time schedule is less important than securing safe working conditions.