Hanwha Ocean, First in Domestic Shipbuilding Industry to Implement International Safety Management System

Lee Gilsup, Vice President and Shipyard Director of Hanwha Ocean (fourth from the left), and Lee Jangseop, CEO of DNV Business Assurance Korea (fifth from the left), signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for ISRS grade evaluation consulting. Photo by Hanwha Ocean

Hanwha Ocean is embarking on establishing a zero-accident workplace.

Hanwha Ocean signed a memorandum of understanding with Norway's DNV, the world's leading quality and safety expert organization, to enhance its safety and health management standards. The signing ceremony was attended by about 10 representatives from both companies, including Lee Gilsup, Vice President and Shipyard Director of Hanwha Ocean, and Lee Jangseop, CEO of DNV Business Assurance Korea.

The purpose of this cooperation is to improve management levels through an objective evaluation of Hanwha Ocean's current safety and health status and the mid- to long-term strategies established based on the evaluation results.

To this end, a preliminary assessment of all Hanwha Ocean workplaces will be conducted over approximately three months. Hanwha Ocean expects that this evaluation will quantify the safety and health management status, allowing the company to objectively confirm its current safety and health conditions. Based on the evaluation results, Hanwha Ocean plans to collaborate with DNV over the next five years to innovatively enhance its safety and health systems.

Ultimately, Hanwha Ocean aims to obtain the highest level of the International Safety Rating System (ISRS) quantitative evaluation, recognized as the top international safety management system rating in the domestic manufacturing industry, from DNV, and to establish a foundation for a zero-accident workplace.

The ISRS was developed in 1974 based on research data analyzing 1.75 million accident causes by Dr. Frank E. Bird. After nine revisions, it is now recognized as the world's premier safety rating system, evaluating not only safety but also sustainability factors such as social, environmental, and financial losses. ISRS assesses 15 categories including planning and management, risk assessment, risk control, emergency preparedness and response, and risk monitoring, and assigns a 10-level 'ISRS Level rating' based on the evaluation results.

Currently, ISRS has been applied to about 100 domestic workplaces and approximately 12,000 workplaces worldwide. Among domestic companies, Hanwha Total maintains the highest level with a grade 8 rating. The highest grade is 10. If Hanwha Ocean receives an ISRS rating, it will be the first domestic shipbuilding company to do so.

A Hanwha Ocean official stated, "All employees are united in prioritizing safety and health management as the highest value and are making every effort to create a zero-accident workplace," adding, "We will further systematize and develop this through the upcoming ISRS evaluation."

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