Firefighters at SK Hynix Factory Work Throughout Chuseok Holiday Weekend. Choi Geon-wu, a 39-year-old SK Hynix employee, will not be able to visit his family over the Chuseok holidays because of the nature of his work, ensuring the safety of an industrial complex that produces semiconductors. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Korea Bizwire) –Choi Geon-wu, a 39-year-old SK Hynix employee, will not be able to visit his family over the Chuseok holidays because of the nature of his work, ensuring the safety of an industrial complex that produces semiconductors.
Choi works as a firefighter at SK Hynix’s Cheongju factory, and is the first to respond to reports of fires and accidents that occur within an area where more than 10,000 employees including those of affiliate companies are stationed. When emergency situations arise, Choi’s principle is to arrive on the scene within five minutes in order to extinguish fires early on before they become more serious.
If the production line at the semiconductor factory halts for even for a moment, damages can be astronomical, forcing employees to work during the holidays.
Safety experts like Choi must always be prepared to take on emergencies, with four teams working around the clock in three shifts. Choi, who started working at SK Hynix in 2010, is unable to get the full rest he deserves during major holidays. Including the day of Chuseok itself, Choi must work all throughout the holiday weekend from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day.
Choi said that he would love to spend the holidays with his family, but safekeeping the industrial complex was his priority for now. “I will have to postpone sharing good food during the holidays to next year,” said Choi.
Firefighters at SK Hynix Factory Work Throughout Chuseok Holiday Weekend. Choi Geon-wu, a 39-year-old SK Hynix employee, will not be able to visit his family over the Chuseok holidays because of the nature of his work, ensuring the safety of an industrial complex that produces semiconductors. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SK Hynix’s Cheongju factory is home to over 2,000 security cameras and 10,000 gas leakage sensors. Emergency workers like Choi monitor security cameras in real time responding quickly if a situation requires immediate attention. The security division owns a fire truck, a chemical fire truck, and an ambulance.
Thirteen employees belong to a single security team composed of rescue workers and paramedics. The factory, which produces NAND flash memory, will have approximately 7,000 employees working around the clock even during the Chuseok holiday long weekend, which began on September 22.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
