Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
POSCO chairman apologizes for fatal accidents
POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo, second from left, speaks during his visit to a pier in the steelmaker's mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. A contract worker died in an accident at the pier on Feb. 8. Courtesy of POSCO
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo apologized on Wednesday over a series of fatal accidents that have occurred at the steelmaker's mills and plants in recent months.
According to the group, Choi visited a pier in its mill in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday and inspected the safety measures of the site. A 35-year-old contractor died in an accident involving an iron ore conveyer at the pier on Feb. 8.
“Regardless of the cause of the accident, I sincerely apologize to the bereaved family as the chief executive of POSCO,” Choi said during his visit. “The company will talk with the bereaved family and reflect their demands as much as possible.”
Choi said the group has invested more than 1 trillion won ($904 million) over the past three years into improving safety measures at its businesses, but is still in need of many improvements. He added that the group will fully cooperate with the government investigation on recent fatal accidents and explore ways to strengthen corporate safety from scratch.
Choi also mentioned the recent enactment of the Major Accident Punishment Act, and said it represents the public voice that no lives should be expendable. The act, enacted on Jan. 8, imposes personal criminal liabilities on the chief executive of a company in the case of fatal accidents.
“POSCO has been striving to become a responsible corporate citizen and will continue to pursue the value of coexistence with society,” Choi said. “I also apologize to the public for the accidents.”
During his visit, Choi stressed that not only contractors but also POSCO employees will join toolbox meetings before all facility maintenance work. A toolbox meeting is a meeting for sharing information about risks in work processes.
Following his visit, POSCO said it decided to distribute 1,400 smart watches additionally for the safety of workers. Last year, POSCO provided 1,300 smart watches to workers in hazardous workplaces to monitor their physical safety.
Last December, POSCO announced that it would spend an additional 1 trillion won over the next three years on improving safety. The group said Wednesday that the budget will be used to replace old pipelines, conveyer belts and other facilities.
The Feb. 8 accident is the latest in a series of fatal accidents taking place at POSCO mills. In December, a contractor died from a fall while doing maintenance work on a pipe at the Pohang mill, and three died in November due to an oxygen pipe explosion at the Gwangyang mill in South Jeolla Province.
As accidents continue, Choi said on Feb. 3 that the group would prioritize safety in its management, but saw another accident just five days later. Choi will appear at a National Assembly hearing to address the accidents on Feb. 22.
According to POSCO's union, 14 contractors and five POSCO employees have died on the job since 2018. Of them, all 14 lost their lives after Choi's appointment in July 2018. No fatal accidents occurred in 2017.
Choi's current term as chairman will expire in March. POSCO board members agreed last December to give Choi another term and this will be confirmed in a vote at POSCO's annual general meeting slated for March.