Smart Cities automatically detect cars, adjusting traffic lights to optimize flow. Smart Homes know when to turn the lights on and off or when to order more groceries. And Smart Devices track people’s movements, their biorhythms and more, so people can better take care of their health.

The Internet of Things (IoT) can also be elegantly simple. For example, Amazon has launched the innovative Amazon Dash, a simple, Wi-Fi-enabled button that can be attached to items around the home, and with a press it orders more of that item. Amazon Dash can be used to order paper towels, diapers, laundry detergent and other commonly used consumer products, connecting your home, making it smarter, and adding a new kind of convenience.

The Internet of Things (IoT) has come to POSCO, too, particularly when it comes to safety. As part of an approach to developing solutions called POSCO’s “Smart Safety,” POSCO is using the Internet of Things to improve safety awareness, reduce risks and get all our employees invested in being actively involved in safety.

POSCO’s Smart Safety Case Studies: Wearables to Ensure Safety

The current focus for improving safety in the workplace focuses on removing risks and raising awareness, to change people’s habits and sense of ownership. By combining these activities with the IoT, POSCO is looking to provide more scientific and efficient solutions.

Two case studies highlight the potential power of POSCO’s Smart Safety approach. One is using Internet of Things (IoT) technology to protect against gas leaks in factories. To guard against dangerous gases, POSCO uses sensors, constantly checking the air to make sure it is not poisonous or suffocating.

By connecting these sensors to employees’ smart watches, POSCO is able to increase the intelligence and speed of these safety networks. When a sensor detects a dangerous gas, it can immediately connect to everyone’s wearable devices, so they can instantly learn there is a problem and quickly get clear of the danger zone.

In addition, by analyzing information about the gas leak, the factory safety systems can automatically determine where the leak is originating and block the valves around it.

For the second case study, POSCO proposed adding additional sensors and safety equipment to employees’ clothing, giving them additional IoT protection even when working alone. In the hard hat, an accelerometer and other sensors could be added to monitor each person and protect against falls, gases and other dangers. In the safety vest, biosensors monitor heart rate, body temperature and other personal conditions. And a GPS sensor in the safety vest could ensure the company knows where its employees are, to better ensure their safety during an emergency.

By making our employees’ clothes into smart clothes, we can greatly increase awareness of and responsiveness to potential problems, which means reducing risk and keeping all workers safer.

Using Competition to Get Everyone Involved in Safety

POSCO has also worked to get everyone more involved in promoting safety through a Smart Safety Idea Competition. The entire company participated in this contest, held from March 21 to April 10, with 1,072 ideas officially submitted.

Among the ideas about how to incorporate IoT technology to improve safety were using location-based services to monitor workers in the factory; risk-monitoring on large vehicles like cranes and handling equipment; wearable devices to monitor worker health; and using aerial drones to monitor for gas leaks.

Employees’ strongest ideas will be picked, judged on effectiveness, realism, economics and related criteria. The winners of the safety competition will be announced in June.

Embracing Technology to Always Put Safety First

POSCO has long been an innovator in the steel industry, always looking to use the latest technology to create the best-possible products. And it’s no different when it comes to safety—any and all tools are welcome if they can help make the POSCO workplaces better for our employees.

The Internet of Things is transforming our world, making all sorts of everyday objects smarter and more connected, and that’s an innovation that can make a real difference in the steel industry. By being at the forefront of implementing the latest technology into a new safety paradigm, POSCO is showing its dedication to becoming “POSCO the Great.”

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It Takes a Village

The POSCO Village started in 2010 to provide safe housing to low-income residents of Vietnam. The project’s goal is to complete the construction of 128 houses. Currently, 43 houses are complete and 85 are under construction. A project to complete the remaining houses is a joint effort of the POSCO 1% Foundation, the local government and HABITAT. They are also planning the construction of water supply and sewage systems for the residents in the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, where 25 percent of residents live below the poverty line. The project provides learning sessions to guide residents on how to build and manage houses. POSCO 1% Foundation was established in 2013, and is funded by the donations of POSCO employees who donate one percent of their monthly salaries. It was founded to support and empower impoverished communities, while still preserving the local traditions.

The Global Volunteer Group

Volunteers from the POSCO Global Volunteer Group have been working on the construction of these homes since August 1, putting their summer vacation time to good use. The group is made of fifty carefully chosen members who build houses during the hot days and prepare for move-in ceremonies in the evenings. The POSCO Global Volunteer Group also visited an orphanage in the neighborhood, delivering clothes and toys for the children. Through their community support initiatives, the volunteers are hoping to connect with the residents.  

Building a Community

Says Choi Hyang-sook, a volunteer from POSCO Humans, “Despite my physical disability, I have a happy work life at POSCO Humans, a standard workplace for the disabled. I hope others can also overcome their current difficulties and enjoy their lives. POSCO Global Volunteers are all different ages and have many different jobs, but we are joining together to help local people live in a house built by their own hands.” Whether you travel or not for summer vacation, there are many ways to make your time off as meaningful and memorable as possible. You can find ways to volunteer your time and effort in your local community, as well as communities beyond.

Reshaping Women’s Fashion

Perhaps no other clothing item has played a more influential role in fashion than the corset. It first made an appearance in fashion 500 years ago, when it was used to mold the upper torso into a rigid cone-like shape. During this time, baleen (whalebone) was used as boning to support the desired shape and prevent wrinkling of the fabric. (Images: http://bit.ly/1SPecWV and http://bit.ly/1BFWH75 )

As baleen became more expensive, and the ideal body shape of the woman began to change in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, steel became the dominant boning material and was used to make the corset accentuate a woman’s natural curves. This led to a widespread public outcry: from medical doctors regarding health risks, from religious leaders upset about the garment’s revealing nature and from feminists, who claimed the corset was symbolic of the imprisonment of women at the time. (Though, it should be noted that even men and young children wore corsets, too!)

In the early 1900s, fashion placed greater emphasis on comfort and rigid steel boning was replaced by more flexible steel boning. Today, corsets are mostly limited to historical dramas and lingerie shops, but the item will forever be a symbol of “sexy” steel and femininity.

The Crinoline Craze

In the mid-19^th century, the crinoline, a structured petticoat, became a hot trend and was sported by just about every woman in the Western world.

Originally structured with horsehair, steel was widely used in the 1850s to make the hoop skirts spread out more fully. This new style was so popular that in 1859, the New York factory of Thomson & Co., one of the most significant manufacturers of the item, used 300,000 yards of steel wire every week to produce between three and four thousand crinolines per day. Likewise, the company’s rival, Douglas & Sherwood, used a ton of steel each week in manufacturing hoop skirts at its factory in Manhattan. (Images: http://bit.ly/1LtOLrU )

The crinoline eventually fell out of fashion, but was revived in the 1940s and 50s, and again in the 80s, when Vivienne Westwood created the mini-crini. This item was designed to embody two conflicting ideals of the era – the crinoline, representing a “mythology of restriction and encumbrance in woman’s dress,” and the miniskirt, symbolizing an “equally dubious mythology of liberation.” 

Steel-Inspired Subcultures

Other steel trends that cropped up during the 1970s-90s were inspired by the punk, heavy metal and rivethead subcultures that flourished during the three decades. The cultures’ associated dress styles incorporated military aesthetics, such as steel toe boots, with hints of Punk, like spikes and studs. Often, these styles were complemented by tattoos, piercings and scarification. (Image: http://bit.ly/1eTOaDE )

Steel toe boots, such as Dr. Martens, Gripfasts and Grinders, which had originally been used as a safety measure for industrial workers, became a popular choice of footwear for their rough and tough reputation. So tough, in fact, that they’ve been known to be the catalyst of injured concert-goers as a result of crowd surfing gone wrong.

Metallics in the New Millennium

When the 2000s began, fashion trends were highly influenced by technology. “Y2K fashion” featured a monochromatic futuristic approach with metallic hues, and a heavy use of the color gray, straps and buckles. Apparel was made to be reflective, technological and sexy, and even electronics became an accessory to complete the Y2K look. (Images: http://bit.ly/1JhFiBR ; http://bit.ly/1edGVFR )

This year, metallics, which capture the vibrancy of steel, have made a comeback on the catwalk. Designers have once again rolled out sophisticated styles with reflective touches, which fashionistas pair with toned-down staples like buttoned-up blouses and printed shirts to keep things shiny but not overly blinding.

Time will only tell what the future of fashion holds. But, if the past offers any hint of what’s to come, and it often does in fashion, then we are likely to see steel on the catwalk again sooner than later.

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* POSCO Spreads Hopes with New Community Movement in Africa and Asia

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POSCO is providing free sessions for those who cannot afford quality education on regular basis in Mozambique. So far, there have been 50 graduates from the facility and POSCO is expecting 30 more graduates in 2013. The students learn practical techniques for rice farming, making composts and using agricultural machines. They are also living in a dormitory to learn about the core values of diligence, self-help and cooperation, which are the key spirits of New Community Movement.

Mozambique’s best students visit Eco Farm in Korea

POSCO invited Armindo Silvestre Langa and Tamara Alfredo Lipangue, the two best pupils from the education facility, to Korea. The tour included visits to POSCO’s Eco Farm and steelworks sites to learn about in-depth agricultural knowledge and Korean culture.

On June 3rd, the two Mozambicans went to Eco Farm, an agricultural education institution founded by POSCO for Korean retirees who wish to return to farming. It was set up in April 2011 and offers various training programs with basic, intermediate and professional curriculums. Armindo and Tamara were very excited to see how Korea’s advanced agricultural technologies were taught and operated there.

The two students participated in practical trainings on how to make organic fertilizers, to grow tomatoes without seeding and to enhance the harvest productivity by using pest control methods more efficiently. Armindo and Tamara were eager to learn as many techniques as possible so that they can implement them back in Mozambique.

Meeting with Presidents and showing enthusiasm for bright future

On the next day, Armindo and Tamara delivered presentations in front of Mozambique’s president Armando Emílio Guebuza, who was in Korea for a summit with the President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. They talked about their experiences at Eco Farm and impressions about Korea.

During the presentation in front of the two presidents, Armindo expressed his gratitude for the opportunity POSCO has provided. With the knowledge he learned, Armindo talked about his plan to farm garlics in Mozambique after graduation. “As garlics are not easy to harvest in Mozambique and we import them from overseas, I would like to contribute to Mozambique’s economy by cultivating our own garlics on our own soil,” he said.

Armindo continued to highlight the knowledge he learned from POSCO’s New Community Movement programs. “I heard Korea was a poor country but was able to achieve such a dramatic development through New Community Movement.” “I learned the three core values of New Community Movement: diligence, self-help and cooperation.” At the end of the presentation, Armindo shared his long-term plan of forming a community in Mozambique, to help those seeking jobs and wanting to learn useful techniques, just like he did at POSCO’s agricultural training facility.

The presentation delivered by the two bright Mozambican students was indeed memorable. They hoped POSCO’s efforts to educate and train the next generation farmers in Mozambique could be a cornerstone for developing Mozambique’s economy in future. ‘Hello, POSCO’ wishes all the best for everyone in Mozambique and we will keep you updated with more stories from this campaign!