[The Economics of Heatwaves⑤] Urgent Measures Needed to Prevent Safety Accidents During Heatwaves... Calls for Improved Working Conditions Nap in the National Assembly

Repeated Heatwave Safety Accidents, Unified Voice at the National Assembly
Legislation Proposed to Improve Labor Environment Conditions Still Pending
Total of 182 Heat-Related Industrial Accidents in the Past 6 Years, Including 29 Deaths
Work Safety Prevention Measures Still at 'Recommendation' Level, Legalization Needed

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] As heatstroke and other heat-related safety accidents recur every year, voices calling for prevention at the National Assembly level are emerging. Although bills aimed at improving working conditions according to climate conditions have been proposed, most remain pending in the National Assembly.

According to the National Assembly Legislative Information System on the 28th, multiple amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Act have been proposed, which include ordering employers who fail to take safety and health measures against weather conditions to improve facilities where workers are directly or indirectly exposed, and suspending work if these orders are not followed.

On the 25th, when a heatwave warning was issued for most regions nationwide, workers were sweating profusely at the construction site in Gwanghwamun Square, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Kim Seong-won, a member of the People Power Party, proposed allowing local government heads to order employers to suspend work if it is judged that heatwaves or cold waves could endanger workers' lives and safety. Independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang included in her bill a mandate for supervisors to report to the Ministry of Employment and Labor when workers suspend work due to weather conditions such as heatwaves, cold waves, or fine dust, titled ‘Mandatory Work Suspension and Reporting for Workers According to Weather Conditions.’ Lee Yong-bin of the Democratic Party proposed an amendment to the Industrial Safety and Health Act requiring employers to take measures such as work suspension or adjustment of break times when climate conditions worsen, with partial wage support from the government.

These bills arose from concerns that although industrial accidents caused by heat-related illnesses are increasing due to heatwaves, safety prevention measures remain at a recommended level.

According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, over the past six years (2016?2021), there were a total of 182 industrial accidents due to heat-related illnesses, including 29 deaths (15.9%). Most accidents occurred in construction (47.8%) and service industries such as environmental cleaning (29.7%), where outdoor work is frequent, but many also occurred in manufacturing (13.8%), where indoor work predominates.

However, the government has shown reluctance to pass these amendments, citing employer burdens and excessive budget requirements. Even after these bills were proposed, heat-related industrial accidents have continued to rise, with 26 more injuries and 3 deaths last year alone.

In May of this year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor released the ‘Heatstroke Prevention Implementation Guide,’ which included preventive measures for heat-related illnesses not only for outdoor but also indoor workplaces, but it has been criticized for being only advisory.

In particular, after three workers at the Coupang logistics center were hospitalized due to heat-related illnesses in July because cooling facilities were inadequate, a forum was held at the National Assembly on the 26th.

At the ‘Countermeasures Committee for Healthy Labor and Human Rights of Coupang Workers,’ co-hosted by Justice Party lawmakers Ryu Ho-jeong and Lee Eun-joo and Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Tan-hee, there was a consensus that passing amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Act is urgent for practical ‘improvements to labor conditions during heatwaves.’ Since the government announced heatwave countermeasures in 2005, the only improvements have been the inclusion of the ‘Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT)’ index in the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s heatwave countermeasure guidelines and partial revisions to industrial safety rules for outdoor work. Among these, ‘work suspension during heatwaves’ remains only as a slogan urging workers to exercise their right to refuse work during heatwaves, highlighting the need for legislation.

Lawmaker Ryu Ho-jeong pointed out, “The Ministry of Labor’s ‘Heatstroke Prevention Implementation Guidelines’ for indoor work are only recommendations and lack enforceability.” Lawmaker Lee Tan-hee also emphasized, “The government guidelines have not been a practical solution. To prevent heat-related industrial accidents, clear standards and enforceable measures must be established.”