Labor Ministry to inspect 1,000 heat-vulnerable workplaces in August

The Ministry of Employment and Labor will conduct intensive inspections of 1,000 workplaces vulnerable to extreme heat — including construction, shipbuilding, logistics and manufacturing sites — as temperatures peak in August.

Inspectors will focus on whether employers are complying with rules requiring the suspension of outdoor work during the hottest parts of the day when the apparent temperature reaches 35 degrees Celsius, and a full halt to all non-emergency outdoor work when it hits 38 degrees.

The ministry announced Tuesday that it will carry out a two-week "intensive inspection for the prevention of heat and asphyxiation accidents" targeting 1,000 heat-vulnerable workplaces and high-risk confined spaces from Aug. 3 through Aug. 14. The inspection is aimed at protecting workers' lives and health ahead of the hottest period of the year, which typically follows the end of the monsoon season.

Inspectors will check compliance with the ministry's five basic heat-safety rules: providing cool drinking water, installing cooling equipment, ensuring at least 20 minutes of rest every two hours, supplying cooling gear, and calling 119 in emergencies.

Minister Kim Young-hoon has directed the heads of 48 regional labor offices nationwide to rigorously verify that employers are enforcing the tiered work-stoppage measures.

Inspectors will check whether worksites are following the standards requiring adjusted work hours or shortened outdoor shifts when the apparent temperature reaches 33 degrees Celsius, a suspension of outdoor work between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at 35 degrees, and a complete halt to all outdoor work except emergency operations at 38 degrees.

Alongside heat safety, the inspections will also cover the prevention of asphyxiation accidents.

The ministry said it will verify compliance with three core safety rules for preventing asphyxiation — measuring oxygen and hazardous gas levels before entering confined spaces, ensuring adequate ventilation, and wearing air-supplied respirators — at manholes, wastewater treatment facilities, storage tanks and similar sites, where extreme heat can lower oxygen concentrations and increase the risk of toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide.

"Heat waves must be treated as a disaster that threatens workers' lives and health," Kim said. "Adhering to the five basic heat-safety rules and the tiered work-stoppage measures is the fastest and safest way to protect workers' lives." He added that work must never proceed in confined spaces unless the three asphyxiation-prevention requirements — hazardous gas measurement, sufficient ventilation and the use of air-supplied respirators — have been met.

Meanwhile, the ministry plans to keep a special heat-safety task force in operation through Sept. 30, continuing on-site inspections and oversight focused on areas under heat advisories and workplaces at risk of heat-related illness.