Hyundai Steel labor and management join forces to prevent heat illness at worksites nationwide

Hyundai Steel's management and union have joined forces to strengthen safety management at worksites across the country to prevent heat-related illness during the peak summer months.

The company announced Tuesday that management and union representatives held a heat illness prevention agreement ceremony at the Dangjin steelworks on Monday. Starting at Dangjin, the agreement is set to expand to all domestic facilities, including factories in Incheon, Pohang and Suncheon.

The agreement covers the provision of rest facilities, support for cooling equipment and supplies, compliance with safety rules during high-heat work, beverage distribution and emergency first-aid training.

During the summer heat season, the two sides will conduct joint inspections focused on large-scale maintenance sites and high-temperature workplaces. The inspections will closely examine the condition of rest facilities, compliance with work-hour limits based on perceived temperature, and the proper operation of cooling fans. Representatives will also visit worksites directly to distribute drinks and brief workers on safety guidelines.

Since May, Hyundai Steel has been sending weather alerts twice daily to all workers — including supervisors and subcontractor employees — via mobile messaging, covering perceived temperature, wind speed and rainfall. The company also provides a heat-index calculator app to help workers manage their own rest intervals.

Alongside this, the company is running a range of preventive measures: a food-truck-style beverage vehicle, distribution of salt-glucose supplements, heat illness prevention pamphlets, and an expanded network of portable and fixed safety rest shelters. The company also plans to supply additional personal protective gear at worksites, including cooling work uniforms, ice-pack helmet pads and heat illness prevention kits.

Labor and management representatives at the signing ceremony said in a joint statement that "there is no distinction between labor and management when it comes to safety and health activities, including the prevention of heat illness during the summer," adding that they hoped "all workers at our facilities will join together to create a safe and healthy working environment."

Meanwhile, Hyundai Steel recently launched its third HCORE Solution Partnership competition, through which it is collecting real-world challenges and pain points from client companies — such as rising construction costs, project delays and declining efficiency in construction and fabrication — and working to find practical solutions as part of its broader efforts to improve the industrial environment.