Steel Safety Day was established in 2014 by the World Steel Association to encourage better safety in the steel industry. The goal is ambitious, to achieve an “injury-free, illness-free and healthy workplace with zero incidents.”

Although a young event, it has quickly grown. Last year, more than 525,000 employees and contractors from 327 steel sites took part in the Steel Safety Day audit, identifying and preventing hazards in their workplace.

To that end, Steel Safety Day focuses on the five most common causes of safety incidents: moving machinery, falling from height, falling objects, gas and asphyxiation, and moving cranes.

This year, “falling from height” is getting the spotlight, as steel companies around the world re-examine their height-related safety measures and ensure their workplaces are as safe as possible.

Taking Precautions for Falling From Height

When working at great heights, safety experts recommend three major steps to reduce the risks.

1. Elimination. If you don’t need to do a task at height, then don’t. Stay on the ground.

2. Prevention. If you must work at height, make sure you have the appropriate guardrails, scaffolding and other safety equipment in place.

3. Protection. If 1 and 2 are not possible, then make sure each person is fully protected, with harnesses, life lines and other safety features while working at height.

In addition, the World Steel Association recommends 10 practical guidelines, such as building guardrails, scaffolding and other safety equipment, ensuring all people who work at height be properly trained, and well-maintained rescue equipment always be in place.

To better illustrate these ideas and reinforce its safety message, the World Steel Association has created this infographic about working at height.

And it created another infographic about Steel Safety Day in general.

The steel industry has increasingly focused on safety in recent years. In fact, since 2004, the steel industry has reduced time lost because of injuries by 71 percent. But safety doesn’t happen by accident. It requires deliberate and systematic measures by everyone, from management to employees.

As one of the world’s leading steel manufacturers, POSCO is dedicated to being a leader when it comes to workplace safety. And we look forward to the latest Steel Safety Day on April 28, when once again all eyes will be on preventing injury and keeping our sites safe.

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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)

Steel Everywhere! Steel in Our Daily Lives

It is hard not to use recycled steel every day. Can you imagine cutting steak with a plastic knife? We unconsciously use recycled steel, which is often revived in watches, canned food, cars, containers, rollercoasters and more. We use steel in different forms every day and we’re sometimes not even aware we’re using it. Wherever you go, you will find steel! Steel’s recycling qualities are not only unlimited, but the material has a variety of ways it can be reused.

<Click here to find out why steel is called “The ‘Real’ Man of Steel”>

What Can We Do With Recycled Steel?

Steel’s wide range of recyclability allows us to have effective and efficient lives. In some cases, it can also help protect the environment. The story the infographic by worldsteel describes tells us about how recycled steel helps both us and the Earth.

<Click here to download Infographic>

Cars made with recycled steel can be reborn as nine different useful products. Steel recycling does not stop there, as it continues to transform into various products via endless re-recycling. What’s interesting about recycled steel is that it saves our time, lives, and even our planet. Cars made with recycled steel are lighter, cleaner and more efficient. They emit less emissions and save us money at the pump.

Less is More – And For the Better

Steel and automobiles are best friends. It is hard to make cars without steel. Compared to the past, customers now prefer lighter cars because they are lighter, have lower fuel consumption, and are simply more efficient. Even more interesting is that lighter cars are more environmental friendly. Also – and most importantly – as cars become lighter, they reduce fuel consumption and use less steel to reach fuel efficiency standards.

The less steel in cars, the better! As illustrated by the 2014 Paris Motor Show, manufacturers are moving toward economical and practical vehicles with low fuel consumption and close to zero emissions. Part of the new concepts of the cars of tomorrow take account lighter steel plates and the economic cycle of steel.

<Click here to read about “POSCO’s Advanced High Strength Steels In Renault ‘EOLAB’ Concept Car”>

It is rather interesting to see how various ways steel can be used as technology grows and industries develop. It will be even more interesting to see how steel will be incorporated into our lives in the future and even today.

The Global Contribution of the Steel Industry

Did you know that steel is making the world a better place every day? The amount of daily steel production is enough to build 548 Eiffel towers. Also, steel companies provided 7.8 days of training to each employee in 2013 and 8 million people which is about the same as the population of Switzerland, is working in the steel industry. Moreover, the $100 billion paid in tax is equivalent to putting 10 million students through school each year or building 5,000 new hospitals!

Watch this interesting video created by worldsteel to learn about steel’s global contribution!

Can You Imagine Your Day without Steel?

As mentioned above, steel is enriching the world every day. And, this marvelous material accompanies us through the day: in the bedroom, at work and every where we go. Did you know that steel is indispensable to our daily lives? If you are doubtful, just check the infographic below!

Even More Steel?

Have you ever imagined how pervasive steel is? Can you think of more steel use in our everyday life? Check out our previous postings to learn about the material’s ubiquitous presence in our life and share with us if you can think of anything more!

• What are Automobiles Made of?
  

The automobile is an important part of our daily lives. And steel is a crucial requirement to build this important part. POSCO’s light, but also very durable automotive steel sheets are advancing the global auto industry.

• What is Steel Used For?
  Steel brings amusement and vibrancy to our lives by bringing musical tunes to our ears. Find out more about what steel is used for and how steel is dissolved into our daily lives.

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Worldsteel’s #lovesteel Campaign

In September 2013, the worldsteel launched its #lovesteel campaign for social media and worldsteel website. The #lovesteel campaign is a series of short videos that highlight working experiences in the steel industry. The series consists of interviews of people of worldsteel member companies, and their insights on exciting world of the steel industry to inspire young people who are interested in steel career.

POSCO Also Participated!

In fact, as a member company of worldsteel, POSCO was one of the participants of the campaign. The 14^th video of the series features Yerim Kim who is working in Investor Relations at POSCO. Let’s find out what inspires Yerim to work in the steel industry by watching the video below.

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