Samsung Display Co. Remodels Dormitories To Prevent Employee Suicide

Samsung Display, the site of frequent workplace accidents, has remodeled dormitories to prevent employee suicide.   Source: Chosun Biz capture

Samsung Display Co., Ltd. has remodeled dormitories in a move to prevent about 23,300 workers from choosing their workplace to end their own lives, Chosun Biz said in an exclusive report on Oct. 23.

Cosmetic Fix

The world’s largest OLED maker has replaced closets, hangers, doorknobs, windows, garment bars, and other amenities in the dormitories at its Tangjeong plant in Asan, according to the conservative business news site, to prevent them from being used during suicide attempts.

Suicide, Collapse And Fire

The remodeling was prompted by an engineer, in his thirties, who committed suicide in April 2017 by hanging himself on a garment bar in his dormitory room.  The engineer, whose identity was withheld, was overwhelmed by overwork, according to the police.

“We have changed facilities in places where there will likely be an accident,” Chosun Biz quoted a Samsung Display spokesperson as saying.  “We have made the improvements to prevent unfortunate accidents and explained it to our employees.”

Earlier, in Jan. 2017, a 43-year-old employee plunged to death from a building in Tangjeong, leaving a note in which he said, “I am stressed out by work.”

In April 2016, the local labor regulator suspended the operation of the Tangjeong plant after a worker fell to his death while on the job.  On May 3, three days after the lifting of the order, two workers were critically injured as they were felled by collapsing stockpiles of displays.

On May 8, 2017, a cooling tower caught fire after overheating.

In May 2017, a cooling tower was caught fire at Samsung Display.  Source: YTN capture 

Leukemia, Multiple Sclerosis And Brain Tumors

Samsung Display was the display unit of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., where a number of employees contracted leukemia, multiple sclerosis and brain tumors.  Spun off in April 2012, the company is still majority held by Samsung Electronics.

SHARPS’s Sit-in Continues

Since Oct. 7, 2015, SHARPS and its supporters have been staging a sit-in at Samsung D’light, the company’s so-called global exhibition space in south Seoul, calling for the world’s largest technology company to:  1) compensate all victims of occupational disease transparently and sufficiently; and 2) make a sincere and full apology.

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