The escape ladder refers to a structure installed in the balcony or on the floor slab of apartments that allow a person to evacuate a building in the event of a fire or emergency situation. It works by opening up a buried hatch, unfolding a containment ladder, and climbing down the ladder to the ground below.

The current Building Act requires apartment buildings to install any one of the following: a shelter space, lightweight party wall between housing units, evacuation exit on a party wall, or a top-down evacuation exit (escape ladder).

Escape ladder made of the high-strength, high-corrosion resistant stainless steel PossSD.

Having already been implemented in buildings in Busan and Gyeongnam Province, some local governments in Chungnam Province are now also seeking to install the escape ladders. This has led to a new demand for stainless steel, which amounts to around 3,000 tons as of last year, and such demand is expected to make an annual growth of more than 20%.

Responding to the demand in the market, POSCO has gone through trial productions for its unique stainless steel material, PossSD, which the company had developed to replace the 304 steel. In collaboration with domestic producers of the escape ladder since early this year, POSCO also plans to start mass-producing and supplying the product in September after undergoing a fire safety certification test.

Having the similar level of corrosion-resistance and ductility as 304 steel, PossSD won the Innovation of the Year Award last October from the World Steel Association. The use of PossSD has improved the stability and durability of the newly developed escape ladder. The company plans to further promote the material, targeting local governments, domestic construction companies and manufacturers of escape ladder to expand its sales.

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