The Ministry of Employment and Labor launched an emergency inspection with major construction firms to prevent heat-related illnesses during the summer heat.
On May 29, the ministry said it met with the CEOs of the country’s 20 largest construction firms to review construction-site heat-response measures and urged them to increase safety investments.
The meeting followed a recent Cabinet session in which the president ordered tougher on-site inspections and stronger support for heat-vulnerable groups, including outdoor workers. The ministry reviewed safety management at the construction sites most at risk and discussed proactive response plans with major builders.
At the meeting, leading firms including Samsung C&T, Daewoo Construction, and GS E&C outlined how they are implementing the Five Basic Heat-Safety Rules and presented their summer safety plans.
The companies said they have built into project plans a requirement to stop outdoor work during the hottest hours when the heat index reaches 35°C, and to suspend all outdoor work except emergency operations when an extreme heat alert is issued at a heat index of 38°C or higher.
They also said they use AI translation tools to provide safety information to foreign workers in their native languages and deploy smart safety equipment to monitor workers’ health as part of heat-illness prevention efforts.
For concrete-pouring operations, firms operate separate work and rest crews and shared examples of adopting early-shift schedules to minimize work during the most heat-vulnerable hours.
From May 15 through Sept. 30 this year, the ministry is operating a Special Heat-Safety Task Force to closely monitor compliance with heat-stage work-stop criteria at construction sites nationwide.
The ministry will also conduct focused inspections to verify whether sites are following the Five Basic Heat-Safety Rules, which were codified into law last year. The rules require providing cool drinking water, installing cooling equipment, guaranteeing adequate rest, issuing cooling packs, and establishing a 119 emergency-reporting system for heat illnesses.
Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said, “Workers’ lives and safety must take priority over schedule pressure at construction sites. Please actively consider necessary measures, such as extending project timelines, to ensure strict compliance with the Five Basic Heat-Safety Rules.”
He added, “Although external uncertainties may constrain safety investments, companies must recognize that the losses from accidents far exceed the costs of prevention. I urge the leaders of the country’s 20 major construction firms to personally oversee worksites to prevent heat illnesses and fall accidents.”
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