HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ factory has installed “Emotional Safety Message Signs” to promote a safe and caring work environment. (Image courtesy of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries)
ULSAN, South Korea, May 9 (Korea Bizwire) — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is undertaking a sweeping overhaul of its Ulsan shipyard under a new “Visible Safety” initiative aimed at modernizing aging facilities and reinforcing workplace safety culture, the company announced Friday.
Launched in response to risks associated with the nearly 50-year-old plant, the project focuses on both infrastructure upgrades and psychological safety enhancements. These include high-visibility markings on hazardous structures, vibrant color-coded safety zones, and emotionally resonant safety signage throughout the site.
The initiative began in August 2024 with the renovation of the shipbuilding assembly facility, where heavy steel cutting, welding, and block construction take place. The company recently completed that phase, introducing fluorescent paint to reduce collision risks along roads and walkways, and applying brighter tones to highlight emergency exits and fire extinguisher stations.
In tandem, Hyundai upgraded outdated break rooms and hygiene facilities to improve worker comfort, while addressing longstanding productivity issues such as flooding during rain, accumulation of welding fumes, and excessive ventilation noise.
Emotionally themed safety posters and signage have also been installed at key transit points and around the facility’s outer walls, encouraging voluntary participation in safe work practices among employees.
CEO Noh Jin-yul described the project as an effort to embed a more emotionally aware safety culture into daily operations. “The Visible Safety initiative is not only about upgrading physical infrastructure,” he said, “but about creating a workplace where safety is instinctive and shared.”
The company said additional facility-wide enhancements will continue throughout 2025, with an emphasis on worker-centered environments both inside and outside the shipyard.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
