POSCO’s steel mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)
POHANG, Oct. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s leading steelmaker POSCO has banned bicycle riding following an earlier prohibition of motorbike riding, after a number of workers died in motorbike and bicycle accidents occurring within the premises of its steel mills.
It prohibited the operation of bicycles within the premises starting from Monday after banning motorbike riding within its steel mills in Pohang and Gwangyang in July.
The company, however, said that it would not restrict the use of bicycles during rush hour.
An employee at POSCO Plantec Co., a unit of POSCO, died on Oct. 7 in a collision with a truck while he rode a bicycle on a road within the premises of the Pohang steel mill.
In December last year, a worker from a subcontractor died on the road within the steel mill in a collision with a 25-ton dump truck when he drove a motorbike for night duty work.
To create a safer workplace as well as to prevent traffic accidents, POSCO decided to restrict the operation of two wheelers, including bicycles.
To minimize the inconvenience that could arise from this restriction, it plans to expand the operation of shuttle buses for commuters as well as to increase the number of vehicles for business use.
However its labor union, affiliated with the Korea Metal Workers’ Union, is not happy with that decision.
“Such restrictions could cause huge inconvenience, particularly for employees working for subcontractors in charge of repair work who need to move around the site of the steel mills, which are about three to five times larger than Seoul’s Yeouido Island,” a union member said.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
