Controversy Over Occupational Cancer at POSCO... Epidemiological Investigation of Steel Manufacturing Industry Until 2023

Hosted by Sanan Gong Safety and Health Research Institute... "First time in Steel Manufacturing Industry"

On the 13th, in front of the POSCO headquarters in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do, representatives from the Pohang branch of the Korean Metal Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the POSCO branch, and the POSCO in-house subcontractor branch held a press conference urging POSCO to conduct an occupational disease survey. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Steel manufacturing companies, including POSCO and its partners, will undergo a three-year occupational cancer-related epidemiological investigation conducted by a government-affiliated institution. This issue, which was raised during the National Assembly's industrial accident hearing, marks the first epidemiological investigation into the steel manufacturing industry.

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) announced on the 25th that it will conduct a collective epidemiological investigation of the steel manufacturing industry, including POSCO and its partners, until 2023. Since December last year, some civic groups and labor organizations have demanded collective industrial accident applications and comprehensive investigations, claiming that workers at POSCO and its partner companies have developed cancer. In February, during the National Assembly's industrial accident hearing, there was also a demand to investigate POSCO's health status. As of the 23rd, nine workers who worked at POSCO steelworks have applied for industrial accident compensation, and among them, three were approved for industrial accident compensation due to lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, and malignant mesothelioma. The agency determined that this meets the requirements for conducting an epidemiological investigation under the Industrial Safety and Health Act, which states "when deemed necessary for the diagnosis, prevention, and identification of causes of occupational diseases." After deliberation by the Epidemiological Investigation Evaluation Committee, composed of 30 experts including medical and hygiene society presidents, it was decided to proceed with the epidemiological investigation.

Over the next three years, workers affiliated with POSCO steelworks, including partner companies, and primary steel manufacturing workers will be investigated. Seventeen doctoral-level researchers from the agency will be deployed. The investigation will be divided into two areas: estimating the risk of occupational diseases such as cancer and conducting detailed work environment measurements and evaluations. The risk estimation of disease occurrence will be assessed by linking employment insurance records and personnel data with National Health Insurance data and national cancer registry data. Detailed work environment measurements and evaluations will assess the level of hazardous factors in the workplace, then review past exposure conditions and individual epidemiological investigation data to compare past and present environments.

The results of the epidemiological investigation will be used not only for system improvements but also as grounds for recognizing and compensating workers' industrial accidents. They will also be utilized to develop work environment improvement plans based on the detailed work environment measurement results. Kim Eun-ah, head researcher at the agency, stated, "Given the high social interest in the investigation and the sharp conflicts of interest among the parties involved, we have formed an investigation team with researchers who possess abundant field experience and research capabilities to produce reliable results." She added, "We ask all parties to actively cooperate so that the investigation can achieve its intended outcomes and serve as foundational data for improving health management in the steel manufacturing industry."

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