"Stifling Heatwave, Beware of Heat-Related Illnesses" 436 Patients Since May

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety recently urged caution against heat-related illnesses as the hot weather continues and heatwaves intensify.

According to the Ministry on the 20th, the nationwide average number of heatwave days observed since 1973 was highest in 2018 with 31.5 days (tropical nights 17.7 days), followed by 1994 with 31.1 days (tropical nights 17.7 days), and 2016 with 22.4 days (tropical nights 10.8 days), recording extremely hot weather.

Over the past 10 years until last year, there were 15,372 cases of heat-related illnesses, with 143 deaths. In particular, between May 20 and July 18 of this year, 436 cases of heat-related illnesses occurred, including 6 deaths.

Looking at data from years with many heat-related illness cases such as 2019, 2018, and 2016, heat-related illnesses mainly occurred outdoors, with outdoor workplaces accounting for 29.1% (2,473 out of 8,492 cases), rice paddies and fields 13.0% (1,108 cases), and roadsides 12.1% (1,031 cases) in order of frequency.

Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety advised that during heatwave warnings at workplaces, workers should take regular breaks of 10 to 15 minutes every hour and adjust working hours to avoid outdoor work during the hottest times. Additionally, in places with infants and the elderly, attention should be paid to indoor temperature control, maintaining a temperature difference of about 5℃ between indoors and outdoors when operating air conditioners, and ensuring proper ventilation. They also emphasized the importance of never leaving children alone in cars, even for a short time.

Ko Gwang-wan, Director of the Prevention and Safety Policy Division at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "After a short rainy season, the hot weather continues day after day, so it is advisable to maintain health by drinking enough water and resting regularly. When a heatwave warning is issued, it is best to avoid outdoor activities, and especially work in vinyl greenhouses is very dangerous, so it is recommended to refrain from such work not only during the hottest hours but also whenever there is sunlight."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.