Philip Morris Korea said it held a launch ceremony and seminar May 6 at the Gyeongnam Eastern Branch of the Korea Industrial Safety Association in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, for a large-small business safety and health partnership program run jointly with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. From fourth left in the front row: Bae Moon-seong, head of the association’s Gyeongnam Eastern Branch, and Haroon Basheer, head of Philip Morris Korea’s Yangsan plant. [Photo provided by Philip Morris Korea]
Philip Morris Korea is expanding a workplace safety initiative aimed at improving conditions for partner companies and the local community.
The company said Thursday that it held a launch ceremony and seminar May 6 at the Gyeongnam Eastern Branch of the Korea Industrial Safety Association in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, for a “large-small business safety and health partnership program” jointly promoted with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.
At the event, the Yangsan plant and the association’s Gyeongnam Eastern Branch signed a memorandum of understanding to help eliminate industrial accidents in the region, the company said.
The two sides said they will cooperate on on-site technical support, tailored consulting and the sharing of professional safety expertise.
The program will be run through a consultative body made up of internal and external partner companies and local small and midsize businesses, focusing on detailed risk assessments and customized on-site support reflecting each workplace’s conditions.
The company said this year’s program significantly expands both funding and participants. With four additional in-house partner companies and one local small business added, the number of beneficiary sites rises to 10: four in-house partners, four outside partners and two local small and midsize businesses.
The support package has also been refined, including new assistance for foreign workers, who make up a growing share of the industrial workforce. To reduce accidents linked to language barriers, the company said it will distribute safety manuals translated into multiple languages and provide on-site interpretation and tailored consulting.
A campaign to prevent heat- and cold-related illness during periods of extreme heat and cold will also be conducted, it said.
The company said the program will follow a phased roadmap for about five months, starting with the launch event and continuing through joint inspections, safety equipment support and on-site training, before a final results seminar in September.
Philip Morris Korea said it ran the program last year with eight partner companies and small businesses, providing six months of consulting and supplying essential safety and health items, including automated external defibrillators, to help spread a safety culture across its supply chain.
Haroon Basheer, head of the company’s Yangsan plant, said, “As we participate for the second year in a row, we will build on the experience we have accumulated and focus on sharing safety management know-how by expanding the scope beyond in-house partners to include local small businesses and foreign workers.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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