The Top 3 Telecom Companies Tense Over Serious Accident Punishment Act, Focus on Safety Management

KT Appoints Chief Representative for Safety and Health
SKT Establishes Dedicated Safety and Health Organization System

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The mobile telecommunications industry has taken swift action in response to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act implemented last month.

According to the information and communication technology (ICT) industry on the 1st, KT, which established a safety and health oversight organization, appointed Park Jong-wook, head of the Management Planning Division, as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) overseeing safety and health. Born in 1962, CEO Park has held positions such as Head of IT Strategy Headquarters in the IT Division, Head of Strategic Planning Office in the Management Planning Division, and Head of the Management Planning Division. Appointing the Chief Safety Officer (CSO) as CEO is a measure to establish an independent and specialized management system in the field of safety and health. KT shifted from a sole CEO system under CEO Ku Hyeon-mo to a dual CEO system with Ku Hyeon-mo and Park Jong-wook as co-CEOs.

LG Uplus also held a board meeting last month and appointed Kim Geon-woo, Director in charge of Real Estate Safety Management, as Chief Safety Executive Officer (CSEO). LG Uplus operates safety-related organizations including the Safety Management Planning Team, Safety Management Execution Team, and safety management teams for the Network, Enterprise, and Consumer divisions.

SK Telecom appointed Choi Hwa-sik as the executive in charge of safety and health through an executive personnel reshuffle in November last year. They established a dedicated safety and health organization under major business units and implemented a safety and health management system on-site.

Field sites such as base station construction pose risks of fatal accidents. According to data presented at the 'Public Institution Meeting for Preparing the Enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act' hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor recently, there were 32 industrial accident deaths in projects ordered or executed by the three major telecommunications companies from 2016 to 2021: 22 at KT, 8 at LG Uplus, and 2 at SKT.

Under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, management officials can face imprisonment or fines for serious industrial accidents caused by failure to fulfill safety and health obligations. Even if workers suffer injuries or illnesses, responsible persons may be subject to imprisonment or fines. The law applies to all workplaces with five or more employees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.