Air-Conditioned Buses and Mobile Ice Water... Hanwha Ocean Makes All-Out Effort to Eliminate Heatwave Vulnerable Areas

Air-Conditioned Buses Dispatched to Sites with Surging Workers
"Ice Water" Delivered to Heat-Exposed Worksites
Large-Scale Purchase of Air Jackets and Cooling Devices

On July 10, Hanwha Ocean announced that it is implementing a range of heat illness prevention activities to protect its employees' health as the heatwave has started earlier and more intensely than in previous years. The company is proactively identifying worksites exposed to extreme heat and has introduced a mobile approach to actively prevent heat-related illnesses.

A safety manager from Hanwha Ocean is delivering ice water to workers disembarking for a break during the afternoon rest period as part of the "Visiting Ice Water" campaign. Hanwha Ocean

The key concept of Hanwha Ocean's heat illness prevention activities is "mobility." In the shipbuilding industry, even outdoor worksites can experience varying degrees and situations of heatwave exposure depending on production plans and schedules. In response, Hanwha Ocean has increased the number of fixed air-conditioned rest areas and adopted a strategy of directly visiting heat-vulnerable areas to implement preventive measures against heat illness.

From this month until September, Hanwha Ocean will operate air-conditioned buses. These buses will visit worksites in the offshore plant construction area, where the number of workers has recently surged due to increased orders. Despite the expansion of fixed air-conditioned rest areas, some workers have still been unable to escape the heat, so the company has taken steps to provide relief with these buses. Hanwha Ocean plans to secure additional air-conditioned buses and move them to worksites with surging worker numbers through September.

The "Visiting Ice Water" campaign targets worksites most vulnerable to heatwaves. The company delivers more than 300 bottles of ice water per day to outdoor worksites such as quay areas, where outdoor work is frequent, especially during heatwaves. This initiative will continue until the end of August. The distribution of ice water at cafeterias and major rest areas will also be expanded. Last year, Hanwha Ocean distributed 1.78 million bottles of ice water.

Since 1992, Hanwha Ocean's labor and management have worked together to prevent heat illness by implementing a policy that extends lunch breaks by 30 minutes when the temperature exceeds 28 degrees Celsius, and by 1 hour when it exceeds 31.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, when the perceived temperature reaches 33 degrees Celsius or higher, the company extends the morning 10 a.m. and afternoon 3 p.m. breaks from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.

Hanwha Ocean is also making every effort to provide rest spaces. Temporary rest areas equipped with air conditioners, water dispensers, and salt-glucose supplements are being intensively installed both on-site and on ships. The number of these temporary rest areas has tripled compared to last year, and there are now a total of 98 rest areas at the Geoje site. In addition, the company is installing shade screens and parasols throughout the site to provide shaded areas.

Efforts to support workers' health and hydration continue. Hanwha Ocean provides health-boosting meals such as galbitang (beef short rib soup) and samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup), as well as fresh fruit punch and beverages, two to three times per week. For four months from last month through September, ice water is provided at lunch, and all employees at the Geoje site receive coupons for ice cream and beverages that can be used at company stores. Currently, ice makers and water dispensers are installed at 150-meter intervals throughout the Hanwha Ocean Geoje site.

Hanwha Ocean owns about 200 spot coolers, which are large portable air conditioners, and has additionally purchased and supplied around 1,220 items such as air jackets, cooling devices, shade screens, and parasols to lower the temperature during work. The company also provides each employee with 10 to 20 salt-glucose tablets, and additional supplies are available upon request at any time.

Furthermore, Hanwha Ocean plans to continuously promote its "Heat Illness Prevention Guidelines," which have been translated into 10 languages including Korean, to all employees as part of its heat illness prevention efforts.