Construction union and employers form joint safety task force

The Honam-Jeju Reinforced Concrete Contractors Association and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Gwangju-South Jeolla Construction Workers Branch held a launch ceremony for their joint labor-management safety task force at the Gwangju Seo-gu Association meeting room on Friday.
The Honam-Jeju Reinforced Concrete Contractors Association and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Gwangju-South Jeolla Construction Workers Branch held a launch ceremony for their joint labor-management safety task force at the Gwangju Seo-gu Association meeting room on Friday.

"Let's work together — labor and management — to prevent serious accidents at construction sites, including falls and collapses."

The Honam-Jeju Reinforced Concrete Contractors Association and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Gwangju-South Jeolla Construction Workers Branch held a launch ceremony Friday for a joint labor-management safety task force at the Gwangju Seo-gu Association meeting room, kicking off a joint effort to prevent serious accidents at reinforced concrete construction sites.

The task force comprises 20 members — 10 from each side. Management representatives include Association Chairman Kim Yang-rok, along with association executives, member company heads and safety officers. The labor side is represented by Branch Chief Lee Jun-sang and team leaders from trades including formwork, concrete pouring and scaffolding. On-site representatives from a range of high-risk occupations joined the table to pool their efforts on accident prevention.

Kim Tae-ho, the association's secretary-general, and Yoo Jong-eun, the union branch's administrative director, will serve as lead coordinators for their respective sides.

Reinforced concrete construction is one of the highest-risk sectors in the industry, with falls, collapses and entrapment accidents concentrated in this type of work.

The association, which brings together 39 specialized construction companies across the Honam and Jeju regions, proposed the "Reinforced Concrete Labor-Management Partnership Project" for the Korea Labor Foundation's 2026 Win-Win GPAI comprehensive support program — an initiative aimed at broadening labor-management relations beyond wage and collective bargaining to encompass safety cooperation. The proposal was selected for funding.

Kim personally oversaw the project from the application stage through Friday's launch. "It is the unwavering wish of every member company head that workers return safely to their families each evening," he said. "Starting with joint site inspections, the association will work to build a construction environment in the Honam and Jeju regions free of serious accidents."


sij@heraldcorp.com