Prior Approval for High-Risk Tasks, Doubling Safety Staff... Hyundai Engineering Strengthens Safety Standards

by Choi Daeyul

Published 28 Aug.2025 09:45(KST)

Hyundai Engineering announced on August 28 that it will strengthen its safety standards, organizational structure, and culture. This is a follow-up measure in response to a series of fatal accidents at construction sites earlier this year, which have raised concerns about safety management.

For high-risk tasks, the company has mandated prior review and approval from headquarters. Weekly risk monitoring meetings are held, led by the heads of the Safety & Quality Division and the Business Division, to proactively inspect the top 10 high-risk tasks at each site. If approval is not granted, deficiencies must be addressed and the task resubmitted for review. High-risk tasks include operations with construction machinery, demolition, and tunnel excavation-work types with a high incidence of fatal accidents.

The number of on-site safety management personnel has also been increased. As of the end of last month, the workforce grew by 1,139, reducing the ratio from one safety manager per 25 workers to one per 11 workers. Additional safety management staff from headquarters have been deployed, and the personnel assignment standards for partner companies have been strengthened. New regulations require partner companies to designate a safety officer if the contract value exceeds 2 billion won and involves any of the seven major high-risk work types, and to assign a separate safety monitor for high-risk tasks. Hyundai Engineering will cover the additional costs incurred by these measures.

Joo Woojung, CEO of Hyundai Engineering (second from left), is conducting an on-site safety inspection. Provided by Hyundai Engineering

In accordance with relevant laws, the wind speed limit for suspending tower crane and gondola operations is set at 15 meters per second and 10 meters per second, respectively. Hyundai Engineering has tightened these standards to a range of 5 to 10 meters per second. The company has also decided to apply a more relaxed perceived temperature standard than what is stipulated in the regulations to prevent heat-related illnesses.

Earlier in May, the company established the Safety & Quality Support Office and formed a new Safety Inspection Team under its umbrella. This team conducts safety inspections and monitoring at all domestic and overseas sites, ensures compliance with guidelines, and addresses any deficiencies. The team also oversees a real-time CCTV safety control center, which operates about 800 cameras. If a safety violation is detected, work is immediately halted.

Since March, CEO Joo Woojung and 43 other executives have conducted 820 on-site safety inspections as of last month. CEO Joo plans to extend these inspections to overseas sites as well. In April, site managers were tasked with providing training on the right to stop work, and a reward system was introduced to recognize outstanding cases of work stoppage in order to reduce employee burden. If three or more sections at the same site are simultaneously halted, or if work is stopped due to recurring issues, all site operations are suspended. In such cases, a special supervisory team from headquarters is dispatched to the site to determine whether work can resume.

A company representative stated, "We will take a leading role in spreading a culture of safety first not only within our company but across the industry, and we will be at the forefront of protecting the health and lives of workers."