POSCO Group Chair Jang In-hwa attended the World Steel Association (worldsteel) General Assembly in Washington, D.C. on October 12 (local time), meeting with global steel industry leaders to discuss key sector issues and stressing the importance of establishing an advanced safety culture involving all employees.
The assembly drew CEOs from major steelmakers including Tata Steel and Nippon Steel, among others. Representing the Korean steel industry, Chair Jang participated in the worldsteel Executive Committee meeting and joined fellow industry heads in discussions on the association’s safety and health policy, climate response and decarbonization strategies, international standardization of carbon credits, and development of next‑generation steel solutions competitive with aluminum.
Jang underscored that ensuring a safe working environment requires eliminating latent hazards at their root and empowering all on-site personnel—including suppliers—to take responsibility for accident prevention. He added that POSCO will advance AI‑based smart safety systems to create a leading example of “K‑Safety.”
At a member meeting the following day, POSCO won the top prize in the worldsteel “Safety & Health Best Practice” competition in the process safety category. The annual contest recognizes outstanding safety management practices among member companies worldwide. POSCO was lauded for its “blast furnace tuyere video‑based AI smart technology,” which has driven safety innovation in plant operations.
The in‑house system applies computer‑vision AI to monitor tuyeres—the components exposed to high‑temperature molten material inside blast furnaces—automatically detecting abnormal conditions and issuing immediate alerts. The technology reduces equipment‑damage risk and enhances worker safety.
During the summit, Chair Jang also held a series of meetings with CEOs from Australia, Europe, and Japan, seeking expanded cooperation and new business opportunities amid global industry uncertainty, signaling an active push for strengthened international engagement.
