Hanwha Aerospace boosts CSO’s authority in safety push

[Financial News] Hanwha Aerospace has announced a sweeping overhaul of its safety management system. The company plans to focus its efforts on preventing the recurrence of serious accidents, including by strengthening the chief safety officer’s (CSO) authority and introducing automated equipment in hazardous processes.
Hanwha Aerospace said it held a safety innovation declaration ceremony on the 30th, attended by about 2,500 employees from its Daejeon, Boeun and Yeosu sites. The ceremony was part of the company’s safety innovation efforts launched after an explosion at its Daejeon site in June.
On June 1, an explosion occurred during cleaning work involving explosive materials at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon site in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, killing five workers and injuring two. After the accident, Hanwha Aerospace temporarily suspended operations at its domestic sites and conducted special safety inspections and safety training. Over the following five months or so, it reassessed risks across its sites and pursued measures to prevent a recurrence, including adding safety and health personnel and improving its management system.
At the ceremony, labor and management representatives jointly declared their commitment to safety after the company presented its safety innovation roadmap and key initiatives. A “breakaway ceremony” was also held to symbolize a break with the conventional safety mindset. The five safety principles announced by the labor and management representatives are: preventing recurrence through communication and information sharing; safety management based on data and expertise; putting safety first in management; building a workplace-focused safety system; and responsible action based on the safety declaration.
Hanwha Aerospace has decided to substantially strengthen the CSO’s authority to put these measures into practice. It plans to elevate the status of the CSO system and allow the CSO to independently order operations to be suspended at sites where safety principles are not being followed.
The company will also establish a specialist unit to closely analyze and assess every stage of hazardous processes involving explosives and other materials. It plans to introduce remote-control and automated equipment in high-risk processes to physically separate workers from hazards.
The company also plans to regularly review progress in implementing its safety principles and innovation initiatives and share the results with employees.
Hanwha Aerospace CEO Lee Bu-hwan said, “We will provide all the resources needed, without reservation, to ensure that the principle of putting safety first takes root throughout the company,” adding, “I will take the lead as CEO to ensure that every organization—not just the safety department—takes responsibility for safety.”
[email protected] Jung Won-il Reporter