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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
Samsung Gaum, Inc. (SGI) has agreed to pay penalties totaling $1,850,000
and to undertake an extensive safety and health program as part of a settlement
signed Friday, Dec. 20, 1996, with the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA).
OSHA issued citations and proposed penalties against SGI in 1995,
following its investigation of the death of a worker who fell from a roof at
the Guam International Air Terminal Expansion and Renovation Project for which
SGI was the steel erection contractor. Under the settlement, Samsung has agreed
to bring all its current and future construction projects in the U.S. and its
territories into full compliance with OSHA standards.
"It is particularly important that employers in the construction
industry understand the need to protect workers from fall hazards," said
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Joseph A. Dear,
who administers OSHA. "OSHA has and will continue to aggressively enforce fall
protection standards, because they save lives and reduce injuries. Our concern
extends to construction projects underway in the Pacific Rim territories under
U.S. jurisdiction."
"A key element is that Samsung will inform all its employees that
management is committed to employee safety and health and will not tolerate any
attempts to circumvent the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health
Act and OSHA regulations," Dear noted. "The settlement also avoids the cost and
burden of prolonged litigation."
Son Dal Kun, a 41-year-old South Korean welder for SGI, fell 65 feet to
his death on March 28, 1995, while walking on unsecured steel decking on a roof
overhang. The decking fell off the support members.
Following its investigation of the fatality, OSHA proposed $8,260,000 in
penalties for 118 alleged willful violations of requirements for protecting
workers against fall hazards.
In addition to reducing the total amount to be paid, OSHA also agreed to
delete the willful classification of the alleged violations. Samsung agreed to
withdraw its contest to the citations and proposed penalties and also certified
that all conditions cited as violations have now been fully abated.
The Samsung management policy statement will include a commitment to
enhance existing safety and health programs, will encourage employee
participation in resolving safety and health issues, and will provide that
reports of safety and health concerns are encouraged, protected from reprisal,
and shall be addressed and resolved in an appropriate and timely manner.
Samsung also agreed to provide employee training, including refresher
training, in general hazard recognition, appropriate fall protection measures
and Samsung's safety and health policies and procedures. The company will hold
weekly safety meetings with its employees on each job site to discuss fall
protection issues relevant to the job. Its existing fall protection program
will be revised to ensure that Samsung meets OSHA fall protection requirements
for construction work in the U.S.
As part of the agreement, Samsung will perform written safety and health
audits before beginning work on any construction job in the U.S. during the
next two years. The audits will be performed by an individual or team expert in
requirements of the OSH Act (particularly in construction). They will verify
that Samsung's safety and health procedures adequately address safety and
health hazards and that responsible management personnel at the work site know
the OSHA requirements and company safety procedures and practices to ensure
compliance with the act.
Samsung Guam is part of Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., which in
turn is part of The Samsung Group, a South Korean international conglomerate.
The settlement agreement is to be posted in a conspicuous location at
all current Samsung workplaces covered by the act.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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