CJ Logistics Gunsan Coal Center Awarded Prime Minister's Award at the 21st Korea Safety Awards

"Installation of Legal and Additional Safety Equipment to Alleviate Concerns of Spontaneous Combustion in Enclosed Centers"

CJ Logistics Gunsan Coal Branch exterior. Photo by CJ Logistics

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] CJ Logistics Gunsan Coal Center has been recognized by the government for its continuous safety management efforts.

CJ Logistics announced on the 27th that it received the Prime Minister's Award for Excellent Company at the 21st Korea Safety Awards ceremony held at KINTEX in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. This event is hosted by the National Fire Agency and jointly organized by the Korea Safety Certification Institute, Korea Fire Industry Technology Institute, and Korea Fire Safety Institute. The award was accepted by the head of the Gunsan Coal branch of CJ Logistics.

The Korea Safety Awards is a system that selects and honors outstanding companies and contributors who have taken the lead in protecting the lives and property of the public through excellent safety management. Since 2002, about 40 companies and organizations have been awarded annually in categories such as Excellent Company Award, Contribution Award, and Contest. Among these, the Excellent Company Award category includes the Presidential Award, Prime Minister's Award, Minister of the Interior and Safety Award, and National Fire Agency Commissioner Award, with 12 companies being honored.

The CJ Logistics Gunsan Coal branch, which received the Prime Minister's Award this time, established the Gunsan Coal Center in October 2017 on approximately 1.27 million square meters of land at the dedicated coal pier of Gunsan Port, equipped with 330,000 square meters of advanced facilities. It can store 165,000 tons at once and has an annual processing capacity of 3 million tons, providing a stable supply of thermal coal to power plants in the West Central region.

Thermal coal has been identified as an environmental pollutant due to dust generated during unloading and storage. To address this, CJ Logistics installed a sealed dome roof at the Gunsan Coal Center to block dust dispersion, minimizing damage to nearby areas. However, due to the nature of the sealed warehouse, there was a concern about spontaneous combustion. To resolve this, CJ Logistics invested in special firefighting equipment exceeding legal requirements and completed safety manuals. This aspect was reportedly highly evaluated during the recent inspection.

In addition to basic equipment such as fire extinguishers and sprinklers, CJ Logistics Gunsan Coal Center installed special agent-type firefighting equipment, thermal imaging cameras for monitoring the internal temperature of thermal coal, and coal transport facilities outside the warehouse. The central control room is staffed 24/7 by safety officers working in two shifts, monitoring CCTV every hour and checking for any equipment abnormalities. They also operate one dedicated fire truck and conduct joint fire inspections and firefighting drills quarterly with the local fire station.

CJ Logistics operates with safety management as its top priority. In particular, it has strengthened the Sustainable Management Office organization to conduct company-wide safety consulting and preventive inspections to ensure safety and accident prevention. The Gunsan Coal branch also prepared jointly for the recent Korea Safety Certification Institute inspection.

Jung Yeon-seok, head of CJ Logistics Sustainable Management Office, said, “Building the Gunsan Coal Center with a sealed dome and advanced facilities, exceeding legal equipment standards, received favorable evaluations. As a global logistics company representing Korea, we prioritize safety management and will continue to strive for social responsibility and ESG management.”

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