Operation of Heatwave Response System by Stage... Inspection of 100,000 Vulnerable Businesses

Ministry of Employment Announces 'Worker Health Protection Measures'

Ahead of the peak summer heat season, the government has announced measures to protect workers' health against disasters and safety accidents. Plans have also been made to prevent tragedies like the incident last year where a worker in his 20s died while working in extreme heat at the warehouse-type large mart Costco.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 22nd that it will implement the "Heatwave Preparedness Worker Health Protection Measures," a joint effort by central government ministries, local governments, safety and health specialized institutions, and related organizations, to respond to heatwave-vulnerable industries on-site until September.

First, the "Heat Illness Prevention Guide," which contains the three basic rules for preventing heat-related illnesses, will be distributed to public institutions and workplaces nationwide. In collaboration with the Korea Meteorological Administration, heatwave impact forecasts will be provided daily to employers and workers. Workplaces must take measures against heatwaves when the apparent temperature exceeds 31 degrees Celsius. During each heatwave stage, workers should be given at least 10 minutes of rest every hour, and outdoor work should be shortened or suspended between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Industries vulnerable to heatwaves such as construction, logistics and distribution, shipbuilding, as well as workplaces employing many mobile workers like delivery and gas/electricity meter readers, will be designated as workplaces at risk of heat-related illnesses and managed intensively.

The Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency will support 300 logistics and distribution sites with technologies to improve heat environments, such as localized cooling devices and ventilation facilities. Specialized institutions like safety, construction, and health associations, as well as worker health centers, will visit 100,000 small-scale manufacturing companies with fewer than 50 employees and construction sites to check compliance with heat illness prevention rules and monitor heat symptoms among high-risk groups such as those with hypertension and diabetes.

During guidance and inspection by local labor offices, if there is a possibility of imminent danger due to heatwaves, employers will be actively advised to suspend work.

Particularly, workplaces in agriculture and livestock industries that employ many foreign workers (E9 visa holders) will be intensively inspected for heat illness risks. Additionally, elderly workers, who are relatively vulnerable to heatwaves, will be designated and managed as a "heat illness sensitive group," with regular health status checks encouraged.

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik stated, "We will support labor and management in autonomously establishing measures to prevent heat-related illnesses so that no cases of heat illness occur in industrial sites, and we will take all necessary actions to protect workers' health."