Gwangyang Steelworks Establishes AI-Based Automatic Safety Distance Measurement System for Cargo Handling Cranes

Securing Safety in Cargo Handling through AI-Based Video Recognition and Algorithm Development

Immediate Detection of Unsafe Work Conditions Enabled by Data Visualization

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Jin-su) announced on the 4th that it has established a system that automatically measures the appropriate hoisting height of product loading cranes, creating a safer cargo handling work environment.

In a situation where the importance of safety is increasing day by day, Gwangyang Steelworks is focusing on strengthening safety management for all workers engaged in port workplaces, including company executives and employees, in preparation for the Port Safety Special Act fully enforced on the 4th.

Among them, the product pier is a special work environment with many potential hazards due to various tasks such as lashing and securing, so safety management and improvements tailored to the characteristics of each task are necessary.

Accordingly, Assistant Manager Song Eun-ha of the Production Technology Department, together with Senior Researcher Jeong Yong-hwa of the Robot Solution Research Center, embarked on deriving a new type of solution that enables safe cargo handling management and prevents safety accidents.

First, they identified that collisions could occur due to misjudging the hoisting height caused by sea level fluctuations and the crane operator’s limited visibility, and implemented an AI video recognition ship height measurement model through web-based learning.

Furthermore, by integrating real-time data such as hoisting height and travel distance collected from multiple sensors with ship height data, they were able to derive the appropriate hoisting height and build an AI system that can prevent collisions between products and ships in advance.

In particular, the ‘Cargo Handling Crane Safety Distance Automatic Measurement System’ attracted attention for further enhancing the safety of cargo handling through data visualization. Gwangyang Steelworks supported crane operators to immediately detect unsafe working conditions based on real-time monitoring of measurement data.

This was also a great help in loading heavy plates. Unlike general steel products wound in coil form, heavy plates have very diverse widths and lengths, and since crane fastening is done manually, there were variations in each operation.

However, by using this system, changes in the tilt of heavy plate products during the loading process and the tension of each fastening rope can be measured, and when balance is disturbed, an alarm warning sounds to prevent plate dropping accidents.

Gwangyang Steelworks plans to significantly improve the safety of cargo handling by continuously learning and improving the AI model using actual data obtained through the ‘Cargo Handling Crane Safety Distance Automatic Measurement System’ in the future.

Based on this, Assistant Manager Song Eun-ha, who received the Gwangyang Steelworks Director’s Commendation for excellent QSS activities, said, “I am grateful to have been selected for excellent QSS activities and to have received the Gwangyang Steelworks Director’s Commendation along with the good results achieved with my team members.”

She added, “Although technology has advanced a lot, automating product pier cargo handling equipment was very difficult, and I realized that know-how is required for loading operations. I feel proud to have played an advanced role in developing port cargo handling automation technology through this project.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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