[Safe Company] We Protect the Safety of SK Members

Ulsan CLX Emergency Response Drill

[Asia Economy Reporter Park So-yeon] SK Innovation Ulsan Complex (hereinafter Ulsan CLX), covering approximately 2.5 million pyeong?about three times the size of Yeouido?is a major national infrastructure facility employing around 3,000 personnel. A very unique safety system implemented here is drawing attention.

The battle against COVID-19 at this site has inevitably been fiercer than anywhere else. Leading the front line is the Ulsan CLX SHE Office. SHE stands for Safety, Health, and Environment.

The SHE Office is responsible for analyzing various risk factors and establishing safety management systems at Ulsan CLX. Especially this year, since the outbreak of COVID-19, it has devoted great effort to quarantine and infection prevention management activities.

The SHE Office, which is responsible for the safety, health, and environment of Ulsan CLX members, has established and operates a special organization for COVID-19 response called the 'Preventive Quarantine Review Committee.'

Regardless of weekdays or weekends, the Preventive Quarantine Review Committee was created to monitor any unusual cases among members and respond to various risk exposure scenarios. It performs comprehensive control tower functions related to Ulsan CLX’s COVID-19 response, including ▲establishing Ulsan CLX COVID-19 prevention guidelines, ▲setting domestic and international infection risk areas and visitation criteria, ▲identifying and managing infection risks for all personnel entering the site, and ▲operating the COVID-19 emergency response system.

Within Ulsan CLX, there is an affiliated clinic attached to the SHE Office where members can comfortably visit if they feel unwell or have any discomfort. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, this clinic has been the first point of contact when members exhibit abnormal body temperature or respiratory symptoms.

All members visiting the affiliated clinic are required, as a principle, to undergo temperature checks and screening (including overseas or other region travel history and symptoms) at the clinic’s screening station to completely block COVID-19 infection within Ulsan CLX. Additionally, the clinic provides telephone consultations and guides members with a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius or higher to external medical institutions, continuously monitoring their health status until they return to work.

The successful quarantine efforts at Ulsan CLX, even during the rapid spread of confirmed cases last March, are attributed to the hidden efforts of the SHE Office. In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, when securing protective and hygiene supplies such as masks was difficult, the SHE Office personally visited production factories to establish supply contracts for masks.

Based on this, Ulsan CLX thoroughly stocked masks, disinfectants, protective suits, thermometers, and more. This enabled stable distribution of masks and hand sanitizers to members. To date, it is known that over 200,000 masks have been distributed to members across 20 rounds.

To ensure rapid initial response when suspected COVID-19 cases occur, Ulsan CLX’s production organization has conducted a total of 12 emergency response drills so far. These drills aim to raise awareness of infectious disease prevention management by having members directly participate under the assumption that a suspected COVID-19 case has occurred. Participants in the emergency response drills wore protective suits and engaged in practical exercises such as situation reporting, disinfection within the control room, deployment of substitute personnel, maintaining a 24-hour process safety system, and minimizing COVID-19 infection.

Furthermore, the SHE Office installed partitions in the dining area to prevent droplet infection directly linked to COVID-19 and organized groups to minimize contact among members even during lunch breaks. To strengthen the COVID-19 infection response system, temperature checks are conducted three times daily at Ulsan CLX?upon entry, at the start of work, and during lunch breaks. The more efforts a company makes to ensure quarantine and safety, the greater the safety and happiness of the entire nation will be.