Industrial Safety Helmets Repurposed as Safety Umbrellas for Children

 In an innovative initiative, discarded safety helmets from industrial sites are being
repurposed into safety umbrellas for children, aiming to prevent traffic accidents
in vulnerable local communities.

 The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA, President Ahn
Jong-ju) under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, in partnership with the
Eastern Branch of Save the Children (Head: Seong-Hoon Roh), held a ceremony
on January 19 to mark the delivery of upcycled safety helmets transformed into
safety umbrellas, with the objective of enhancing child safety, particularly at
locations prone to traffic accidents.

 The ceremony is part of ongoing efforts following the signing of the Multilateral
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last year on Upcycling Discarded
Safety Helmets for ESG Management Expansion.
* The five signatory parties include KOSHA, Pohang City, POSCO PR Tech (a steel mill
maintenance business), Usisan Inc. (a social enterprise), Save the Children (an NGO)

 Safety helmets, formerly worn by workers at GS E&C Corp. and eight other
companies, were collected and then repurposed through upcycling into 167 safety umbrellas. These items are slated for distribution to six Children Welfare Centers
in Pohang, facilitated by the international humanitarian NGO, Save the Children.

 Pohang has recorded the highest incidence of child traffic accidents in
Gyeongsangbuk-do over the last five years*.
* Source: Korea Road Traffic Authority (KoRoad) Statistics (traffic accident casualties
under 12 years old by si, gun, and gu)

 The safety umbrellas, crafted with the aim of preventing child traffic accidents,
feature school zone speed limit markings (30km/h) and are colored yellow. This
design facilitates easy identification of children by drivers, prompting cautious
driving behavior.

 KOSHA President Ahn Jong-ju stated: “Beyond the initiative to upcycle discarded
safety helmets, we are committed to fostering local community development by
establishing a resource recycling cooperation system. We aspire for these safety
helmets, once guardians of industrial safety, to now protective umbrellas for
children.”