In the Deadly Heat... Full Efforts to Protect Workers in the Distribution Industry

Logistics Center Temperature Rises to 36°C in Scorching Heat
Shortened Working Hours, Ice Water, and Heatwave Emergency Kits Provided

As the scorching heatwave intensifies, the distribution industry is actively working to protect the health of outdoor workers. Measures include extending break times for parking attendants, delivery staff, and logistics center employees, as well as preparing ice water, saline glucose, and heatwave emergency kits to respond to emergencies.

An employee at the Coupang Anseong Logistics Center is participating in the 'Yeoreuma Coupanghae' program and consulting with a health manager about the health checkup results.
[Photo by Coupang]

According to the distribution industry on the 4th, department stores have significantly shortened the working hours of outdoor workers. Shinsegae Department Store had previously operated outdoor workers' shifts with 45 minutes of work followed by 15 minutes of rest, but recently doubled the break time to 30 minutes of work and 30 minutes of rest. This is to prevent heat-related illnesses among workers. Hyundai Department Store is also minimizing outdoor work such as entry/exit and outdoor parking lot duties. In most regions where the maximum temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius, no workers will be assigned during the peak heat hours from 12 PM to 4 PM. Working hours have also been adjusted from the previous 1 hour work and 1 hour rest to 30 minutes work and 30 minutes rest. Lotte Department Store doubled the number of portable air conditioners and halved the working hours of outdoor workers since the end of last month.

Large supermarkets completely prohibit outdoor work for employees when heatwave alerts (heat advisories and heat warnings) are issued. About 5% of employees at large supermarkets work outdoors, including parking attendants and logistics loading/unloading staff. E-Mart bans outdoor work during heat warnings and provides rest time: 10 minutes of pure rest per hour during heat advisories and 15 minutes during heat warnings. Lotte Mart completely prohibits outdoor work between 2 PM and 3 PM when a heat warning is issued. On heat advisory days, they shorten work hours or change work schedules accordingly.

The e-commerce industry is also actively working to prevent heat-related illnesses among logistics center and delivery workers. Given the nature of logistics centers where many people are concentrated in one space, they are vulnerable to heatwaves. When heatwave alerts are issued, the internal temperature of logistics centers is known to rise to 35-36 degrees Celsius. Managing internal temperatures and ensuring workers' break times are essential.

Coupang, which has the largest number of logistics centers in Korea, complies with the legal break time of 8 hours work and at least 1 hour break, but provides an additional 10 minutes of rest when heatwave alerts are issued. Cool beverages and saline glucose drinks that can reduce perceived temperature are stocked throughout the logistics centers, and cooling products such as cooling fans and cool vests are provided. Thousands of air conditioning units operate inside the logistics centers. Large ceiling fans and air circulators are running, and last year, after gathering workers' feedback, additional air conditioners were installed in break rooms and indoor cooling areas. A Coupang representative said, "We continue to implement various measures and investments to prevent heat-related illnesses among workers," adding, "We are also running the ‘Summer, Coupang’ campaign to manage the health of logistics center employees."

Earlier, SSG.com produced the ‘SSG Cool Kit’ to prepare for heatwaves and distributed these items to delivery workers at three SSG.com automated logistics centers (NEO) and over 100 nationwide E-Mart PP (Picking & Packing) stores. To prevent possible emergencies, they regularly check the health of workers at NEO centers and operate healthcare programs to prevent underlying diseases.

Market Kurly follows a principle of 9 hours work and 70 minutes rest, but provides an additional 10-15 minutes of break time when heatwave alerts are issued. Since Market Kurly’s deliveries are conducted late at night for early morning delivery, the burden of heatwaves is less compared to other e-commerce companies. Oasis, with a high proportion of fresh food deliveries, maintains logistics center temperatures at 3-5 degrees Celsius, so it is less affected by heatwaves.

The distribution industry’s strong measures, such as reducing working hours in preparation for heatwaves, come as heat-related illness cases surge and deaths continue to occur. In June, a 29-year-old employee died while organizing carts in the parking lot of the warehouse-style large supermarket Costco, which lacked proper air conditioning. On the previous day, Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, who visited a large supermarket, urged, "Compliance with the three basic rules of ‘water-shade (wind)-rest’ is fundamental, and in cases of imminent risk of heat-related illness, please proactively exercise the right to stop work and take preemptive measures."

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