3 Years After Full Guarantee in March 2021
Workers Themselves Create Safe Work Environments
22,648 Workers Exercised Work Stoppage Rights Over 3 Years
92% of Workers Say "Work Stoppage Rights Greatly Contribute to Safety"
The number of work stoppage rights exercised by Samsung C&T workers at domestic and overseas construction sites has exceeded 300,000 in three years. The work stoppage right is a right that workers can use when they themselves are in imminent danger or when a serious accident occurs, and it is being evaluated that a culture in which workers voluntarily create a safe workplace is taking root.
A worker at a Samsung C&T construction site located in Gyeonggi-do is listening to an explanation about improvements after applying for a suspension of lifting-related work. (Photo by Samsung C&T)
Samsung C&T’s Construction Division announced on the 15th that since fully guaranteeing the work stoppage right in March 2021, a total of 301,355 work stoppage rights have been exercised at 113 sites both domestically and internationally.
The work stoppage right guaranteed under the Occupational Safety and Health Act is the right of workers to stop work when there is imminent danger or a serious accident occurs. Samsung C&T is actively promoting a safety culture by guaranteeing the work stoppage right, rewarding workers, and compensating partner companies for losses.
The number of work stoppage rights exercised has been increasing every year. The number of cases was 8,224 in 2021, surged to 44,455 in 2022, and reached 248,676 last year. This means an average of 270 cases per day, or one work stoppage every five minutes.
The most common reason for exercising the work stoppage right was worker collision and entrapment situations (31%). Falls (28%) and equipment overturning (24%) followed. Work stoppages due to dangerous situations that could directly lead to serious accidents such as collisions, entrapment, falls, and overturning accounted for more than 80% of the total. Work stoppages related to climate conditions such as heatwaves, heavy rain, and fine dust also showed an increasing trend.
A total of 22,648 workers exercised the work stoppage right over the past three years. In particular, 210 workers used it more than 100 times repeatedly. The highest number of work stoppage rights exercised by a single worker was 597 cases, followed by 511 cases.
Workers at a Samsung C&T construction site located in Gyeonggi-do are checking a work stoppage rights banner. (Photo by Samsung C&T)
As the work stoppage right has become routine, on-site accidents have decreased. Samsung C&T’s own statistics show that the lost workday injury rate (the rate of injuries causing workers to take one or more days off) has decreased by about 15% annually since the full guarantee of the work stoppage right. Kang Byung-wook (63), a worker who frequently exercised the work stoppage right, explained, “I was worried about disadvantages or complaints from other workers, but I actively used it as I personally felt the site actually changing with just one word from a worker.”
Samsung C&T recently announced that in a survey of 3,832 on-site workers regarding the work stoppage right, 92% of respondents said that the work stoppage right greatly contributes to safety and that they intend to actively use it in the future. Positive effects of the work stoppage right included 67% (2,563 people) responding that they were able to judge dangerous situations themselves, and 64% (2,466 people) saying it created a safer working environment. Additionally, 23% (868 people) responded that an atmosphere where workers are respected was created.
Marking the milestone of 300,000 work stoppage rights exercised, Samsung C&T is conducting a safety program throughout April to reward workers at each site and encourage the use of the work stoppage right. A compensation system for increased costs to partner companies due to delays and additional manpower caused by exercising the work stoppage right has also been established. Samsung C&T reflected costs related to the work stoppage right for 13 companies and 391 cases during the settlement process.
Samsung C&T plans to continue improving the system and providing education to further activate the work stoppage right. The company intends to expand the application of S-TBM, a self-developed on-site risk detection application, to all sites so that workers can easily use the work stoppage right in dangerous situations. The app also allows immediate confirmation of risk situation improvements.
To enable workers to actively predict risks and utilize the work stoppage right, Samsung C&T plans to strengthen education and information provision on various risk situations such as equipment use and high-altitude work. Samsung C&T stated, “We will produce visualized videos and other content on accident status and information of major equipment and facilities, and share them through various means such as social networking services (SNS) so that workers can easily access them anytime and anywhere.”
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