- Supervision and guidance on providing at least 20 minutes of rest every two hours from June 23 to September 30
- Expanded financial support to protect workers at heat-vulnerable workplaces
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that, starting Monday, June 23, it will inspect and supervise compliance with the Five Basic Heat-Safety Rules** among high-risk heat-exposed workplaces such as construction, shipbuilding, and logistics sites.
*High-risk heat-exposed sectors include
① Industries with extensive outdoor work (construction, shipbuilding)
② Sectors with a record of heat-illness industrial accidents (waste/environmental sanitation, logistics)
③ Industries employing large numbers of foreign workers (agriculture, forestry, livestock)
**Five Basic Heat-Safety Rules: ① Water ② Airflow/Shade ③ Rest (at least 20 minutes every two hours) ④ Cooling gear ⑤ First aid**
From June 2 to June 20, the MOEL operated a three-week voluntary improvement period for these rules; the forthcoming supervision aims to strengthen field-centered heat-illness prevention.
On June 13, the Daejeon District Court sentenced both the principal and subcontractor safety-health managers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the principal contractor’s CEO under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, in a case where a worker died of heatstroke while working in heat conditions.
Daejeon District Court ruling (13 June 2025)
• (Occupational Safety and Health Act violations) The employer failed to provide rest breaks and a shaded rest area, and did not supply salt or clean drinking water at the worksite, preventing the worker from taking adequate rest and hydration.
The MOEL will rectify inadequate heat-wave measures, focusing on cooling and ventilation equipment and the provision of regular breaks. This year’s supplementary budget includes **KRW 15 billion**, and once approved by the National Assembly, the ministry will promptly support heat-vulnerable workers at workplaces with fewer than 50 employees by providing portable air-conditioners and other heat-illness prevention equipment.
Jong-yoon Kim, Head of the Industrial Safety and Health Bureau, emphasized, “Compliance with the **Five Basic Heat-Safety Rules** is the minimum measure to safeguard the lives and safety of workers laboring in the heat. Workplaces where industrial accidents occur due to violations of these rules will face strict action under both the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.”