"Too Hot to Handle" Worker Cleaning Train Air Conditioner Dies

Seoul Metro Subcontractor Worker in 40s Dies
Daytime Temperature 30°C, Sunlight Exposure... "Harsh Conditions"

A subcontracted worker in his 40s employed by Seoul Metro was found to have died while working in hot weather reaching 30 degrees Celsius, a fact that was revealed belatedly.

According to a JTBC report on the 11th, subcontracted worker Mr. A (42), who worked at a vehicle depot in Gyeonggi-do managed by Seoul Metro, was found dead inside a train on the 28th of last month.

The electric train photo is not related to the specific content of the article.

It was reported that Mr. A was cleaning the air conditioner inside the train after completing its operation at the time. Around 4 p.m., a colleague found Mr. A unconscious and collapsed, called 119, but he passed away 1 hour and 10 minutes later. The autopsy revealed the cause of death was myocardial infarction.

The highest daytime temperature in the area at the time was 30 degrees Celsius, and the inside of the train was hot as it was directly exposed to sunlight. Mr. A had sent a text message to a colleague saying, "It's so hot, I feel like I'm going crazy."

When the colleague replied, "That's right. You don't like the heat, do you?" Mr. A said, "Maybe because it's hot and there's one less person, it was even harder."

The bereaved family told JTBC, "There was no water or fan inside the (train). It wasn't a resting area; they only placed something like a water purifier," claiming that Mr. A had complained about the poor working conditions.

However, the subcontracting company denied this, stating, "The team leader supplied drinks and water every day. On the day of death, sufficient rest time was also given."

The Labor Office investigating the incident reportedly judged that "it seems difficult to recognize a causal relationship between the work and the death," reasoning that it was not an 'external cause' death.

Meanwhile, as deaths of workers due to heatwaves continue to occur repeatedly, special caution is required. On the 19th of last month, a worker in his 30s working in a large supermarket parking lot died after saying, "I don't feel well" amid the heatwave.

At that time, the area was under a heatwave advisory with a daytime high temperature reaching 33 degrees Celsius, and the parking lot was exposed to sunlight and known to be a poor environment with air conditioning rarely used.

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