HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180) will completely suspend operations across all its worksites to conduct safety inspections and develop measures to prevent recurrence, following a series of safety accidents at its facilities.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said on the 27th that it will implement a "safety shutdown" from the 29th to the 31st of this month at all worksites, including its Ulsan and Gunsan shipyards. Special safety training will be conducted for all employees on the 29th, and all production work at all worksites will be halted on the 30th-31st.
During this period, the company plans to intensively pursue re-conducting risk assessments, comprehensively re-inspecting high-risk processes, and improving safety and disaster prevention equipment and the work environment across all worksites. In particular, to ensure the inspections do not remain a mere formality, the company will strictly restrict the resumption of relevant processes until identified risk factors have been resolved.
"We deeply feel the heavy responsibility for the recent safety accidents and sincerely apologize for causing concern to citizens and workers," an HD Hyundai Heavy Industries official said. "This safety shutdown is not a superficial measure for show, but will become a new turning point that changes the company's safety culture from its roots."
Earlier, on the 18th, a worker in his 20s from Uzbekistan employed by a subcontractor died at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard when he was caught between the main body of a gondola, an industrial elevator, and an upper structure while working inside a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier under construction. Subsequently, on the 24th, a worker in his 30s from a subcontractor died at the Gunsan shipyard after being caught between panel work equipment and a steel structure.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it will identify risk factors at each site during this safety shutdown period and develop fundamental measures to prevent the recurrence of accidents.
