COVID-19 Response "SK Safety Strategy Shined"

Yoo Jaeyoung, Head of SK Innovation SHE Division, "Highest Level Measures Established After COVID-19 Outbreak"
Second Patient Fully Recovered and Discharged from COVID-19 in Korea is SK General Chemical Employee

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] "'You might think, 'Do we really have to go this far?' but all SK Innovation members have understood the company's quarantine measures in their respective work and daily lives, endured the inconveniences, and carefully practiced personal preventive rules."

The second confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is considered a model case of self-quarantine. He worked as an SK General Chemical expatriate in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and returned to Korea via Shanghai on the 22nd. Although he was not subject to quarantine at the time, he voluntarily stayed at home and minimized contact with others. When suspicious symptoms appeared, he reported to health authorities and was confirmed positive, but the seven close contacts tested negative. Behind the second patient, who is also recognized as the first fully recovered and discharged case in Korea, was SK Innovation's SHE (Safety, Health, Environment) Headquarters.

On the 10th, Yu Jae-young, head of the SHE Headquarters, revealed the behind-the-scenes story of COVID-19 quarantine measures in an interview with SK Innovation's news channel 'SKinno News.' As the leader of the safety, health, and environment organization within SK Innovation affiliates, Yu has been the person who established and implemented the highest-level countermeasures the company could take from the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak until now.

When asked about the secret to managing COVID-19, Yu said, "Even before the Lunar New Year holiday, when domestic infection spread was not yet an issue, we encouraged expatriates and their families in the Wuhan area to return home, and members who had traveled to China for business trips were required to conduct proactive preventive quarantine through two weeks of remote work."

He added, "Especially in the early domestic outbreak, we made mask-wearing and hand sanitizing a daily habit among members and maintained a thorough quarantine management system by measuring the temperature of everyone entering the company. Above all, from February 24, immediately after the government raised the alert level to 'serious,' we implemented remote work for all members to perfectly block the risk of infection occurrence and spread within the company in advance."

SK Innovation has recently been gradually returning to normal office attendance. This decision was made based on the judgment that changes were necessary to effectively carry out company work amid the prolonged COVID-19 situation. Accordingly, the SHE Headquarters has been meticulously and thoroughly supplementing the in-house living quarantine system and establishing and operating response processes to minimize the impact on company operations and individual members if an infection occurs within the company.

Yu confessed that through COVID-19, he developed a sense of crisis that a severe threat of a black swan (a completely unpredictable major risk) that cannot be handled by the existing SHE system could occur at any time.

He said, "I deeply recognized the need to build crisis response scenarios and management systems that can detect risks early and respond systematically in unexpected situations such as natural disasters or diseases. We will break away from the inertia of the existing systems, know-how, and knowledge held for SHE management at the workplace within the company and strengthen the response system to prepare for greater risks coming from outside."

He continued, "After observing how many countries, cities, and companies face the crisis caused by COVID-19, I have seen some cases so regrettable that one thinks, 'Ah, they really shouldn't do that.' Companies that fail to shift the SHE management paradigm from a corporate perspective will be left behind, and therefore, SHE will become a core competitive advantage for future companies."

In particular, Yu emphasized, "Watching the global pandemic situation caused by COVID-19, it is time for companies to seriously reconsider and change their roles and responsibilities as members of society."

He added, "We will newly recognize the necessity of SHE as a social value and expand the scope of SHE management to contribute to solving 'pain points' related to SHE from the perspectives of stakeholders and to further strengthen the social safety net."