SK shieldus is stepping up efforts to prevent workplace accidents among its frontline security personnel, introducing practical driving assessments, hands-on safety training and virtual reality simulations to reduce risks before employees are deployed to customer sites.
The South Korean security services provider said its approach focuses on identifying potential hazards throughout employees' work, rather than responding only after accidents occur. The company sees worker safety as essential to maintaining reliable security services and customer trust.
The initiative particularly targets response officers at ADT CAPS, SK shieldus' physical security brand, whose duties involve driving cars or motorcycles to customer premises and handling potentially hazardous situations on-site.
Safety management begins at recruitment. Applicants for response officer positions undergo practical driving assessments covering road handling, parking and vehicle operation. About 400 candidates have taken the assessments this year, according to the company.
For newly hired officers, training focuses on situations they are likely to encounter on the job. SK shieldus works with specialized training institutions to provide motorcycle safety courses for response officers with less than one year of service.
The courses cover basic riding principles, vehicle inspections, proper riding posture, braking and obstacle avoidance. Practical exercises using actual motorcycles are designed to help employees respond to unexpected road conditions.
The company has also strengthened its use of protective equipment. In the first half of this year, it distributed airbag vests to response officers at branches nationwide, while providing hands-on demonstrations of how the equipment works and the protection it offers.
SK shieldus is also using virtual reality technology to simulate hazardous workplace situations that employees may rarely encounter during routine operations.
Its VR training programs cover workplace safety procedures, proper use of protective equipment and responses to potential hazards at customer sites. Employees can practice identifying risks and taking appropriate action in a controlled virtual environment.
The company plans to expand the VR programs to include traffic safety scenarios, particularly accident prevention during vehicle operations.
Beyond formal training, SK shieldus is promoting its "Safe to Go, Every Day!" campaign and using its occupational safety and health management system to incorporate frontline feedback into safety practices.
"Safety for our frontline employees is the foundation of reliable service quality and customer trust," said Shin Woo-chul, chief serious-accident prevention officer at SK shieldus.
"We will continue to establish safety as a core value practiced by all employees and foster a culture in which they take an active role in workplace safety, reflecting feedback from the field."
herim@heraldcorp.com
