Jung Gap-young "SPC Establishes Global-Level Safety and Health Management System"

Jeong Gap-yeong SPC Safety Management Committee Chairman Interview

"Accelerating Structural Reform for Labor Environment Innovation"
"Bakery Factory Accident Must Never Happen Again"
"Chairman Heo Young-in and Executives Firmly Committed to Problem Improvement"

"We hope that SPC Group's establishment of a global standard-level safety and health management system will serve as an opportunity to take a step forward."

Jung Gap-young, Chairman of the SPC Safety Management Committee, said in an interview with Asia Economy on the 17th, "Currently, SPC is accelerating fundamental structural improvements for labor environment innovation."

Jung Gap-young, Chairman of SPC Safety Management Committee. Photo by SPC Group

The Safety Committee was launched on November 14 last year, mainly with external personnel, to create a safe workplace following a caught-in accident at SPL bakery, an SPC Group affiliate, in October last year. Chairman Jung, a former Yonsei University president, is an expert who has led external advisory bodies for reform and renewal of government, judicial institutions, and companies, having served as chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection's Audit Innovation Committee and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Future Development Committee.

Chairman Jung explained, "We are reviewing various short-, medium-, and long-term tasks to supplement and improve deficiencies in SPC's industrial safety enhancement, labor environment improvement, and fulfillment of social responsibility," adding, "Recently, all improvement requirements related to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's planned supervision have also been completed." The Safety Committee plans to hold a meeting on the 18th to specifically discuss step-by-step execution processes to strengthen safety management.

Chairman Jung emphasized, "Through three meetings and factory visits, we were able to receive and confirm the company's efforts to improve industrial safety and labor environment," and added, "They are rapidly improving not only the Ministry of Employment and Labor's supervision but also the safety diagnosis issues pointed out by external professional organizations." He continued, "We have launched and are operating a shift system improvement task force (TF) and a corporate culture innovation TF," and added, "We continue efforts to actively collect opinions from the field through safety-related suggestion systems."

In particular, regarding communication with SPC Chairman Heo Young-in, Chairman Jung said, "The launch of the committee reflects Chairman Heo's will that 'strengthening safety management at the group level is necessary,' and there were opportunities for dialogue to discuss the committee's role both before and after its launch," and evaluated, "We were able to confirm Chairman Heo's full support for the committee to achieve substantial changes and improvements in industrial safety and labor environment across all SPC affiliates."

Regarding the caught-in accident's aftermath spreading into a boycott movement, Chairman Jung diagnosed, "From the company's perspective, being in an unprecedented situation, the biggest reason leading to the boycott seems to be the failure to make appropriate decisions considering consumers' sentiments." He added, "No accident should ever occur even once, but this accident will serve as an opportunity to develop into a better company, bringing many changes," and expressed, "I hope people will decide whether to participate in the boycott, their thoughts, and trust, seeing this as a chance to newly leap forward as a global company."