POSCO Group Chairman Jang Inhwa Inspects POSCO E&C Accident Site

Jang Inhwa, Chairman of POSCO Group, visited the highway construction site of POSCO E&C, where a recent fatal accident occurred, on August 9 to conduct an inspection.

According to industry sources, Chairman Jang visited the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway extension construction site in Okgil-dong, Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, at 9 a.m. that day. He presided over a meeting of the Group Special Safety Inspection Task Force for more than two hours.

Jang Inhwa, Chairman of POSCO Group, is inspecting the UltiumCam site in Canada. POSCO Holdings

At the meeting, Chairman Jang reportedly said, "We must deeply reflect on the series of accidents," and emphasized, "It is a priority to clearly identify the root causes of these disasters."

He also instructed that external experts and the company's internal management diagnosis team jointly launch an investigation to promptly determine the causes, and to develop effective improvement measures based on the results of the investigation.

Chairman Jang also revealed plans to personally visit leading overseas companies to learn from and adopt advanced safety management practices.

The meeting also discussed measures to encourage workers to actively participate as key agents in accident prevention, as well as ways to identify and improve site-specific risk factors.

The meeting was attended by external safety experts, including Park Hwajin, former Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, and Lim Musong, President of the Korea Industrial Safety Association, as well as Kim Sungho, Chairman of the POSCO labor union.

From POSCO E&C, all division heads responsible for business operations attended, including President Song Chiyoung and Kim Hyunchul, Head of the Safety and Health Center.

Immediately after the meeting, Chairman Jang visited the site of the accident to inspect the working environment and safety measures.

On August 4, at this site, a worker of Myanmar nationality suffered an accident, presumed to be caused by electric shock, while inspecting a pump installed in an underground water pit. The injured worker has not yet regained consciousness.

POSCO E&C has suspended all work and new infrastructure bidding activities at all 103 construction sites nationwide.

As a result, construction has been halted at the Seoripul Complex Development Project in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and the Shinbanpo 21st Reconstruction Project (Othier Banpo). POSCO E&C has also withdrawn from the consortium for the Gadukdo New Airport site construction project.