Ministry of Employment Visits High-Heat Manufacturing SMEs...Joint Inspection by Ministries for Heatwave Response

Minister Lee Jeong-sik Visits Site with Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is operating this summer as a 'Special Response Period for Heatwaves, Heavy Rain, and Typhoons,' and visited sites to inspect preparations for heatwaves and heavy rain at the inter-ministerial level.

(From the front row, left) Oh Young-joo, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, visiting a manufacturing SME in Seo-gu, Incheon on the 16th to inspect the site in response to the heatwave.
[Photo by Ministry of Employment and Labor]

On the 16th, Minister Lee Jeong-sik of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, along with Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, visited a small and medium-sized manufacturing company located in Seo-gu, Incheon, to observe the site and listen to difficulties.

The SME produces aluminum ingots through a casting process. The casting manufacturing process, which involves heating, rolling, or processing metals, generates high heat that can cause heat-related illnesses to workers.

Minister Lee and Minister Oh inspected the high-temperature casting manufacturing facilities, worker rest areas, and foreign worker dormitories that day. Through a meeting with the company CEO and on-site workers, they reviewed worker safety and health protection as well as management difficulties faced by SMEs.

Minister Lee said, "High-temperature work during the summer can lead to serious accidents from even a small lapse in attention," and urged, "Please strictly follow safety and health guidelines to prevent not only safety accidents such as burns but also heat-related illnesses like heatstroke."

He added, "In particular, foreign workers have a higher risk of accidents due to communication difficulties," and requested, "Please pay special attention."

This summer is expected to have higher temperatures and more rainfall than usual. The Ministry of Employment and Labor has designated June to August as the 'Special Response Period for Heatwaves, Heavy Rain, and Typhoons,' and is inspecting related response measures focusing on vulnerable workplaces at the inter-ministerial level with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and others.

Additionally, to prevent heat-related illnesses at workplaces employing many foreign workers, the ministry has produced and distributed heat illness prevention guides translated into 17 foreign languages including English, Bangladeshi, and Filipino.

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