However, safety cannot only be a top-down concern. To really be effective, safety also needs to be practiced and thought about by each individual—which is why POSCO has instituted a program called “SSS”, or “Self-directed Safety Spread”.

SSS Means Safety for All

Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) activities refer to employees practicing POSCO’s safety activities on their own. Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) launched in 2015 to take the company’s safety promotion to the next level. By continuing to emphasize safety, POSCO was able to reduce accidents by 50 percent in 2015 compared to the year before.

But to become “POSCO the Great,” the company is focused on becoming even safer—and that requires empowering all the employees to take ownership of safety and create a bottom-up culture of safety.

In January, Gwangyang also put safety front-and-center with the POSCO Family Safe SSS Festival, with everyone in the plant promising to strive for zero accidents. For the festival, 570 people, including POSCO President Ohjoon Kwon, attended, watching a special safety video, making a safety pledge and implementing self-directed safety activities.

“Everyone, including the Labor Union Council and all employees, must participate in Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) activities and do their best to make safety POSCO’s culture,” said President Kwon. “Please help POSCO become POSCO the Great in the field of safety by continually increasing our safety capacity.”

The company also handed out safety awards in recognition of a great safety culture and safety activities to Pohang Wire Unit, Gwangyang Energy Unit, and POSCO ChemTec, along with outsourcing partners PNP and Fine.

A Tradition of Protecting Employees

On March 24, POSCO’s Gwangyang Steelworks held a POSCO Family Safety Pledge Competition, as 330 employees and executives gathered to re-pledge their dedication to following the 10 safety rules, executing “Tool Box Meetings” before each day’s work and carrying out Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) activities.

“Putting an effort into small details keeps the workplace safe,” said Dongil Ahn, a manager at Gwangyang Steelworks. “It’s important that everyone works on realizing an accident-free steelworks, as if each and every one of us is responsible for safety in the company.”

Safety an Integral Part of POSCO the Great

CEO Kwon introduced the concept of “POSCO the Great” in 2014, shortly after taking the reins of the company. The idea was to create a vision for the future of POSCO that was ambitious and innovative, and that would inspire employees to become actively engaged in building that future.

Safety and Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) activities have also been an important part of POSCO the Great. In 2015, it focused on establishing Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) and developing a safety mindset. This year, POSCO the Great shifts emphasis to implementation, encouraging employees to make a safety mindset habitual and a part of their daily regimen.

Last year, it was zero injury. This year, it’s zero harm. Last year, people were called upon to root out hidden hazards in their workplace. This year, they are being asked to emphasize disaster management and emergency preparedness.

POSCO has long emphasized the importance of worker safety, in all phases of the company’s operations. Self-directed Safety Spread (SSS) activities are the latest in a long line of programs that have constantly improved safety. Classes, employee meetings, and company-wide programs to minimize risks and emphasize safety are all needed to reduce injuries to zero. Only by doing everything possible to eliminate workplace accidents can POSCO realize its goal of becoming “POSCO the Great.”

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Until recently, POSCO-IDPC, a steel processing center in the Bawal Industrial Area near Delhi, India, experienced such setbacks, but thanks to their development of new transportation methods, they have been able to resolve many of these issues.

Taking care of business

Established in 2007, POSCO-IDPC supplies steel products of POSCO Headquarters, POSCO-Maharashtra and POSCO-ESI to its major customers in Northern India, including carmakers Maruti Suzuki and Honda Cars India.

Originally, the company imported steel coils from POSCO Headquarters through Kandla, a state-managed port, as it imposes the lowest customs fees and transport charges on imports. However, there were often a number of problems with the coils due to careless handling, as well as rust damages caused by chemical products or fertilizers which were placed near the coil yard. Additionally, demurrage charges, fees payable to the owner of a chartered ship on failure to load or discharge the ship within the time agreed, were common.

In an effort to solve these problems, POSCO-IDPC established an office in Kandla Port in 2012, staffed by employees capable of handling the existing issues. As a result of their efforts, the company was able to reduce the losses caused by coil damages and rust, which had amounted to $20,000 annually.

However, there were still roadblocks ahead.

A bump in the road

According to India Today, a report commissioned by the Transport Corporation of India Ltd (TCI) stated that the trucking sector contributes 4.5 to five percent to India’s GDP and is an integral component of the transportation sector. However, poor infrastructure has led to numerous traffic jams on highways, delays at toll plazas and accidents, costing the Indian economy nearly $600 million in lost truck-operating hours annually.

Transporting from Kandla Port, located a lengthy 1,200 kilometers from POSCO-IDPC, by truck gave rise to a number of such problems, resulting in delays and increased carrying charges. During the rainy season, problems escalated as roads worsened and coils kept in the port were damaged by flooding waters.

Smooth sailing at Mundra Port

To avoid these setbacks, POSCO-IDPC searched for another port where railway transportation was possible. Mundra, a privately owned port located 75 kilometers from Kandla, had a complete system in place, managing every aspect from storage to railway transportation. However, compared to Kandla Port, it was costlier, and coils were more likely to be damaged due to more frequent handling.

Through continuous negotiation with Mundra Port, POSCO-IDPC was able to settle on a reduced transportation cost, while securing superior transportation quality.

Nowadays, coils unloaded at Mundra Port are piled in the yard and loaded into containers specifically designed for handling steel coils. The containers are then transported to the station nearest to the POSCO-IDPC plant by railway and then delivered to the customer by truck.

Steering clear of damages

Furthermore, the company enhanced the transportation method so that clients could receive the product in its original state. To avoid accidents and product damages due to poor road conditions, POSCO-IDPC altered its packing techniques by connecting pallets of loaded products and tying multiple bundles of coils together.

In doing so, the quality of coil transportation was remarkably improved resulting in almost zero claims, and the company was also able to reduce actual expenses on transportation and insurance. After 7 months of operation from June 2014, POSCO-IDPC saved $290,000, excluding insurance merits. If POSCO-IDPC imports 80,000 tons this year, it will save a total of $600,000.

With an annual steel processing capacity of 200,000 tons since the establishment of its second plant in April 2013, POSCO-IDPC expects an increased growth through consistent sales increases, and hopes to expand its annual sales to 220,000 tons in 2015. On top of that, POSCO-IDPC will continuously endeavor to achieve maximum customer satisfaction with the best transportation quality as an admired coil center of one of the world’s leading steelmakers.

A previous article from last month that promoted the second annual Steel Safety Day outlined the five major causes of injury, which are: Moving Machinery, Falling from Heights, Falling Objects, Gas and Asphyxiation and Overhead Cranes. Each year, Steel Safety Day will focus on one of the five major causes. This year’s Steel Safety Day, which takes place on April 28, 2015, will focus on Moving Machinery.

To download the infographic, click here.

The infographic above lists the five key areas of Moving Machinery, which are training & competency, safe access, guarding & signage, isolation & immobilization, and roles & responsibility. The infographic is meant to give workers a better understanding of the risks and to prevent or reduce any injuries. Similarly, the video below goes into detail about these areas, and suggests a few tips on how to avoid accidents.

It is now our turn to be aware of these practices and apply them in daily life! And remember we learned about only first cause, there will be articles about other causes in the future, so please stay tuned!  

That’s why the World Steel Association (worldsteel) is celebrating the second annual Steel Safety Day on April 28, 2015, to remind industry leaders and manufacturers that excellence in safety and health helps everyone succeed. One of the major goals worldsteel aims to achieve is an “injury-free, illness-free and health workplace with zero incidents.”

The organization released an infographic on March 10 of some quick reminders to companies and employees around the world to help them prevent incidents even before they start.

Safety doesn’t just depend on the workers. To ensure that workers are able to perform at their best, worldsteel says that management also plays a big part in keeping workers safe and healthy.

Since the last Steel Safety Day in 2014, worldsteel estimated that about 75 percent of companies had mitigation plans. But in the coming year, it hopes that number reaches 100 percent.

The event, which was established last year, is intended to raise awareness of the five most common cases of safety accidents. According to worldsteel, by focusing on the five causes – moving machinery, falling from heights, falling objects, gas and asphyxiation, and moving cranes – the organization intends to set up a continuous improvement process and reiterate its commitment to the safety and health of the people who work in the industry.

To find out how to reduce the five main causes of injury, consult the infographic and video below: 

(find more details on worldsteel website)

2015 ‘Self-directed Safety Spread’ at POSCO
As the new year has kicked off, POSCO hosted the `2015 POSCO Family Self-directed Safety Spread Festival` at the Gwangyang Steel Mill, where 560 staff and executive members of POSCO Family had attended. Broadcasted live to Pohang and Gwangyang, the event was held to promote staff-oriented activities under the theme of ‘Self-directed Safety Spread’ and to create an industrial environment that is capable of sustaining a zero-injury record.

The ‘Self-directed Safety Spread activity’ is distinctive compared to the ‘top-down’ approach which is largely led by the executives and the company. In fact, the ‘Self-directed Safety Spread activity’ is carried out from the ‘bottom-up’ throughout the organization. This approach will further stress the fact that the importance of health and safety is placed on to staff themselves.

What Safety Means to POSCO
POSCO has long put safety as its top priority and, under the umbrella of improving workplace safety, it has undertaken wide-ranging activities, including reorganization, strengthening of preventive actions of unsafe actions, class-based education, and identifying and addressing risk factors. Through thorough investigations, both major and minor safety accidents were still occurring due to lack of safety awareness, systematization, and shared communication between staff and company.

Therefore, POSCO has pledged that this year would be the first of establishing a sustainable voluntary safety culture to achieve its zero-injury record. This chimes well with its vision of `POSCO the Great with workplaces that are safe and where employees are happy`, with staff at all levels of the company aligned to achieve this vision.

Action Plans for Safe Work Environment
POSCO came to a conclusion that voluntary participation and execution are the ways to swiftly execute its strategic vision for safety. Therefore, through action plans such as ‘Self-directed Safety activity Spread’ and ‘voluntarily active culture establishment’ will enable employees to feel and practice safety by themselves. Moreover, action plans such as ‘ultimate elimination of hidden hazards’ and ‘construction of safety infrastructure based on mutual trust’ should be conducted in order to build a solid platform for long-term health and safety.

With respect for human life and dignity, all staff and executive members of POSCO are now set to devote their energy to creating a zero-injury company. It has managed to accomplish ‘POSCO the Great with workplaces that are safe and where employees are happy’. And, this adds as the 5th reason why POSCO is a ‘Great Place to Work At’.

Krakatau POSCO is a joint project between POSCO and Indonesia’s state-run steel manufacturer PT Krakatau Steel. The construction of Krakatau POSCO, with an annual production capacity of 3 million tons, will be completed by the end of this year.

The board members shared their gratitude and encouraging words with those who have been working diligently in Indonesia’s hot weather. In a following luncheon with the employees, Chairman Chung said, “Let us develop our strong will to succeed in Indonesia by bearing in mind that the founding spirit of POSCO was to ‘create greatness out of nothing’.” The Chairman also requested the employees at the construction site to do their utmost to overcome sluggish global market condition.

Director Lee Young-sun emphasized that the facility would be the first integrated steel mill constructed outside of Korea by POSCO and the employees may feel proud of themselves. He asked the POSCO staff to pay full attention to prevent safety accidents and encouraged them to embrace cultural differences amongst the on-site workers.

Based upon the construction of Krakatau POSCO, POSCO will concrete its role as a leading global steel manufacturer and accelerate the entrance into Southeast Asian markets.

According to a research undertaken by POSCO’s Qingdao corporation QPSS, a 70 percent of negligent accidents occurs from May to August. The study also said most of them happened while the victims were working in the early mornings or late evenings. These are vulnerable times as the workers’ concentration can be distracted due to tiredness.

In Qingdao, China, POSCO’s Managing Director of QPSS Liang Ho-young is doing her utmost to diminish the number of on-site accidents by forwarding a series of smart ideas to keep POSCO employees safe. Liang visits QPSS’ worksite every day to hear workers’ voices to tackle any inconvenience they are facing at the workplace.

Also she is trying to boost the morale of POSCO families by delivering a cup of coffee for those who are working in the late evenings and early mornings. When she does so, Managing Director of QPSS Liang asks them individually to be cautious and safe while dealing with potentially dangerous tasks.

QPSS is also using an effective way of encouraging on-site safety awareness amongst its workers. They have designed posters and slogans, embedded with photos of QPSS employees’ children, and put them against the walls around the workplace. It is successfully reminding the workers that their safety matters for not only themselves but also their families.

POSCO believes the happiness of our employees will be resulted in mutual prosperity for both the company and its people. That is why POSCO focuses on promoting how to work safely, not only for its Korean sites and QPSS but also every corner of the world.