Air-Conditioned Buses Dispatched to Areas with Surging Workers,
"Ice Water" Delivered to Heat-Exposed Worksites
Break Times Doubled When Feels-Like Temperature Exceeds 33 Degrees,
Number of Air-Conditioned Break Rooms Tripled
Hanwha Ocean (President and CEO Kim Heecheol) is closely monitoring the health of its employees by conducting a variety of heat-related illness prevention activities to help them cope with the heat wave, which began earlier and more intensely than in previous years.
After proactively identifying worksites that are more exposed to extreme heat, the company has implemented a mobile approach, enabling more active heat-related illness prevention measures.
Hanwha Ocean will newly operate air-conditioned buses from July to September this year to help workers cool down during the summer period.
The key concept of Hanwha Ocean's heat illness prevention activities is "mobility." In the shipbuilding industry, even outdoor worksites are exposed to varying degrees of heat depending on production plans and schedules.
Accordingly, Hanwha Ocean has not only increased the number of fixed air-conditioned break rooms, but also adopted a strategy of directly visiting and addressing areas vulnerable to heat waves to prevent heat-related illnesses in advance.
In practice, Hanwha Ocean is operating air-conditioned buses from July to September. Currently, these buses are dispatched to the offshore plant construction area, where the number of workers has recently surged due to increased workload. Despite the expansion of fixed air-conditioned break rooms, additional measures have been taken so that workers who could not avoid the heat can cool down.
Hanwha Ocean plans to secure additional air-conditioned buses and respond by relocating them to worksites with rapidly increasing numbers of workers through September.
The "Visiting Ice Water" campaign targets worksites most vulnerable to heat waves. The company directly visits outdoor worksites such as quay areas and provides over 300 bottles of ice water per day during heat waves. This activity 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.
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. Photo by Hanwha Ocean
To prevent heat-related illnesses, Hanwha Ocean has implemented policies, through joint labor-management efforts, to extend lunch breaks by 30 minutes when the temperature exceeds 28 degrees Celsius and by one hour when it exceeds 31.5 degrees Celsius, a policy in place since 1992. Separately, when the perceived temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius, morning and afternoon breaks at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. are extended from 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
Hanwha Ocean is also making every effort to provide rest areas. Temporary break rooms equipped with air conditioners, water dispensers, and saline glucose tablets are being concentrated both on-site and on board. The number of these temporary break rooms has tripled compared to last year, with a total of 98 rest areas at the Geoje site. In addition, shade structures and parasols have been installed throughout the site to provide shaded areas.
Efforts to support workers' health and hydration are also ongoing. Hanwha Ocean provides nutritious meals such as galbitang and samgyetang, as well as fresh fruit punch and beverages, two to three times a week.
For four months, from June to September, ice water is provided at lunchtime, and all workers at the Geoje site receive coupons for ice cream and beverages that can be used at in-house stores. Currently, ice makers and water dispensers are installed every 150 meters throughout the Hanwha Ocean Geoje site.
Hanwha Ocean owns approximately 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 structures, and parasols to worksites to help lower temperatures during operations.
Furthermore, every employee is provided with 10 to 20 saline glucose tablets, with additional supplies available upon request. To prevent heat-related illnesses, the company will continue to promote "heat illness prevention guidelines" translated into 10 languages, including Korean, to all employees.
A Hanwha Ocean representative stated, "The occurrence of heat-related illnesses due to heat waves can vary depending on the weather and the worksite," adding, "Hanwha Ocean will make every effort to protect employees by proactively identifying areas likely to experience heat waves and utilizing all available measures."
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