Gwangyang Steelworks 'Product Wharf Safety Facility Improvement Project' Creates a Safer Workplace

Creating a Safe Work Environment Through Work Platforms and Safety Railings

Enhancing Worker Safety and Convenience Through Safety Awareness Training and Various Improvement Activities

[Gwangyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Jinsu) carried out a work facility improvement project and practiced ESG management by enhancing the safety of port stevedores at Gwangyang Port Product Wharf.

The Gwangyang Port Product Wharf is a large-scale port wharf used for exporting products produced at Gwangyang Steelworks and shipping coastal pine wood, employing about 300 people daily including POSCO, the Gwangyang Port Stevedores Union, and stevedoring companies.

Here, loading and unloading operations are conducted for steel products. Previously, during unloading on coil-dedicated cargo carriers, the workers' movement radius was limited, posing a risk of falls.

The Production Technology Department of Gwangyang Steelworks and POSCO Terminal decided to promote a facility safety improvement project to address this issue and took measures to prevent falls during coil loading operations.

Based on the existing work methods, they derived improvement points and, considering various VOCs related to workers' safety and convenience, manufactured work platforms and safety railings.

After a pilot application and improving parts that interfered with work, the final development was completed, and on the 29th, installation of safety reinforcement facilities that secure additional workspace and prevent falls was completed on a total of 396 dedicated cargo carriers transporting hot-rolled and cold-rolled coils to the product wharf.

Gwangyang Steelworks expects that the newly manufactured work platforms and safety railings will reduce workers' psychological burden and unstable postures during coil unloading, creating a safer work environment and improving unloading work efficiency, achieving a twofold effect.

Jeon Wanjin, leader of the Product Shipping Section at Gwangyang Steelworks, said, "Along with safety awareness improvement education at the product wharf, we will strive to enhance the safety and convenience of stevedores through various improvement activities."

Meanwhile, the Product Shipping Section of the Production Technology Department at Gwangyang Steelworks has formed a safety committee to identify and improve risk factors within the product wharf. Through co-growth efforts with stevedoring companies and the stevedores union to advance Gwangyang Port Product Wharf into a leading port with top competitiveness, trust has been built, and based on this, unloading efficiency has been maximized, handling over 13.5 million tons of products annually.

Gwangyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seonsik hss79@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.