Gyeonggi Province Conducts Special Inspections of 43 Agricultural, Livestock, and Manufacturing Sites Employing Migrant Workers for Heatwave Response

Gyeonggi Province Checks Migrant Worker Safety Amid Heatwave
Joint On-Site Inspections by Ministry of Employment and Labor, Gyeonggi Province, and Local Governments
Heat Illness Prevention Guidelines Provided in 18 Languages

Gyeonggi Province has launched a special inspection of industrial sites and migrant worker accommodations to ensure the safety of migrant workers amid record-breaking heatwaves.

Gyeonggi Province will inspect the heatwave response status at 43 agricultural, livestock, and manufacturing workplaces employing migrant workers in the province from the 14th to the 31st. Provided by Gyeonggi Province

The province announced that from the 14th to the 31st, it will inspect the heatwave response status at 43 agricultural, livestock, and manufacturing workplaces within the province that employ migrant workers.

This inspection is part of a joint central and local government initiative led by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, targeting workplaces employing foreign workers nationwide. The measure was prompted by a recent increase in work-related heat illness cases due to the heatwave, and a series of deaths from heatstroke among foreign workers last year, highlighting the urgent need for stricter on-site safety management.

The inspections will begin on the 14th with a joint on-site inspection at a migrant worker workplace in Icheon. Sequential inspections will follow in areas such as Pocheon, which has many agricultural and livestock sites. The remaining workplaces will be subject to independent inspections by the Ministry of Employment and Labor's regional offices and the respective cities and counties.

On-site, officials from Gyeonggi Province's Immigration and Social Integration Bureau, the Seongnam Employment and Labor Office, and Icheon City participated. Gyeonggi Province also brought interpreters to listen to migrant workers' concerns and provided information on heatwave response guidelines and health protection.

The main focus areas of the inspection include: provision of cool drinking water, installation of air-conditioning equipment, guaranteeing a rest break of at least 20 minutes every two hours when the perceived temperature exceeds 33 degrees Celsius, distribution of personal cooling equipment such as cooling vests, and compliance with the 'Five Basic Principles of Heatwave Safety', such as reporting to 119 and performing emergency measures in the event of heat-related illness.

Additionally, the operation of workplaces and rest facilities, as well as the installation of cooling and fire safety equipment in foreign worker accommodations, are being checked. The province also distributed heat illness prevention guidelines produced in 18 languages, including English, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

Gyeonggi Province operates the Immigration and Social Integration Bureau, the only dedicated local government organization in the country for foreigner policies. Looking ahead, the province plans to continue working with the central government, cities, counties, and relevant agencies to monitor the working environment of migrant workers—who are vulnerable to climate crises such as heatwaves—and to promote the establishment of safe workplaces.

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