[Report] Running While Carrying 40kg in the Heatwave... Home Appliance Industry Booms, Installation Workers Suffer

Surge in Home Appliance Orders Due to Heatwave
Popular Items Include Air Conditioners and Ice Water Purifiers
"Products Over 40kg Require Two-Person Teams for Handling"

"I’m lucky today. The items are light, and the workspace is spacious."

On the morning of the 19th, Jang Seong-ok (46), a home appliance installation technician with 15 years of experience, said this while loading a home water purifier and a rolled-up bundle of tubing onto a mobile cart. Although the packaging boxes didn’t look large, lifting them alone was quite a challenge for an adult woman. Jang pointed to the 15kg home water purifier and the 5kg tubing bundle, smiling, "These are the lightest products I’ve handled in nearly a week."

On the morning of the 19th, Jang Seong-ok (46), a home appliance installation technician, is moving a household water purifier in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Seo-hee

Due to the deadly heatwave, orders for home appliances have surged, forcing installation technicians to endure harsh working conditions while managing tight schedules. Experts note that although installation technicians were converted to regular employees about two years ago, their working conditions have yet to improve, and they emphasize that 'two-person teams' should be established as a standard practice.

According to the home appliance industry, sales of products such as air conditioners and ice water purifiers have sharply increased at companies like Samsung Electronics and Coway. Samsung Electronics’ sales of home system air conditioners in July rose about 25% compared to the same period last year, and sales of their standard Wind-Free air conditioners increased by more than 10%. Coway’s ice water purifier sales from April to June also jumped 30% year-on-year, benefiting from the 'heatwave boom.'

Installation technicians are complaining about the tight schedules and the suffering caused by the heatwave. With record-breaking tropical nights continuing, orders for appliances like ice water purifiers have surged. They start work around 6:30 a.m. and often skip meals until 6 p.m., and due to time constraints, they frequently have to carry items weighing up to 30kg in the scorching heat.

On that morning, Jang visited a home in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and immediately after getting out of the car, loaded about 20kg of products and tools onto a mobile cart and rushed to the elevator. This was to keep up with a tight schedule of up to 10 jobs per day. The highest temperature in Seoul that morning was 35 degrees Celsius, and heatwave warnings were issued for most regions nationwide. Although the travel distance was just over five minutes, sweat quickly streamed down Jang’s forehead.

Jang’s company has an internal guideline allowing installation technicians to work in two-person teams for appliances weighing over 40kg. This was revised in 2020 when installation technicians were converted to regular employees, aiming to prevent safety accidents. However, field workers agree that it is practically difficult to follow this internal guideline. It does not apply when the installation site is on the first floor or has an elevator, and it is also hard to coordinate schedules with technicians working in other areas.

Jang said, "These days, I handle about 10 jobs a day on average, and commercial products are large and heavy, sometimes exceeding 40kg. Even an adult man like me gets dizzy when carrying them alone," adding, "Although the company has internal guidelines specifying two-person teamwork, it’s hard to say they have been fully implemented."

Experts point out that carrying heavy items in the heat poses a high risk of safety accidents and stress that two-person teamwork should be guaranteed when moving products over 40kg. Lee Byung-hoon, an emeritus professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University, said, "It has been about two years since installation technicians, who were classified as special employment workers, were converted to regular employees, but their working environment itself does not seem to have changed significantly. Carrying products over 40kg alone in weather like this greatly increases the risk of heat-related illnesses. Employers should ensure sufficient rest time and two-person teamwork."