Gwangyang Steelworks Shares Warmth Through Installation of 'Love Safety Bars'

Fall Accident Prevention for Seniors, Orthostatic Hypotension, and Other Accident Prevention Effects

Approximately 180 Households Installed Since Starting in June Last Year

Employees of the Equipment Technology Department at POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Head Lee Jin-su) spread a warm culture of sharing in the local community by installing safety bars in the homes of elderly people at high risk of dementia in Myeongam Village and Seoseok Village, located in Bonggang-myeon, Gwangyang City, on the 13th.

The safety bar installation project is designed to help elderly people at high risk of dementia living at home, who are in safety blind spots, live more safely by installing safety bars to prevent falls.

Gwangyang Steelworks has taken the initiative to install safety bars to ensure a safe living environment for local senior citizens.
［Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks］

Since elderly people can suffer serious injuries such as concussions, hip fractures, and lumbar fractures if they slip in wet areas like bathrooms, the importance of installing safety facilities at home is becoming increasingly critical.

Gwangyang Steelworks, in cooperation with the Jeollanam-do Regional Dementia Center and the Gwangyang City Public Health Center, selected 187 households as installation targets. Since starting installations in June last year, safety bars have been installed in 155 households to date. During this volunteer activity, safety bars were additionally installed in 20 households.

The safety bar installation project is carried out once or twice a month under the leadership of the Seolgibong Volunteer Group, composed of employees from the Equipment Technology Department at Gwangyang Steelworks. Volunteers visit the selected homes to assess the structure of the bathroom and toilet, where the risk of falls is highest, and install customized safety bars around toilets, washbasins, and showers.

Moreover, the safety bars installed both indoors and outdoors can help prevent not only fall accidents but also orthostatic hypotension that may occur when standing up suddenly, greatly contributing to the safe living of the elderly.

An elderly person who had a safety bar installed at home that day said, “I have often almost fallen due to water or winter road icing at the bathroom or entrance,” and added, “I am grateful that safety bars, which can support my body, have been installed through this project, allowing me to live more safely.”

Meanwhile, Gwangyang Steelworks is actively striving to realize a company that works with the local community by presenting a model where business and society develop together for coexistence and mutual growth. It provides services such as △moving assistance △wallpaper and flooring support △job-creation type lunch delivery projects △certification acquisition training activities for elderly people in the area who need help.

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

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