Labor Minister Makes Surprise Visit to Gimpo Airport: "Break Facilities Must Be Readily Accessible During Heatwaves"

Expanding Break Facilities

On the afternoon of August 8, Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, visited Gimpo International Airport without prior notice to inspect the implementation of the "Five Basic Heatwave Safety Rules" at the ground handling site.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained that this unannounced inspection was carried out in consideration of the fact that, under the current Stage 2 operation of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters against heatwaves, ground handling workers at the airport primarily perform outdoor tasks such as aircraft marshalling and towing, as well as loading and unloading baggage and cargo. The five basic heatwave safety rules are: ▲ providing cool water; ▲ operating cooling devices; ▲ taking breaks of at least 20 minutes every two hours; ▲ supplying cooling gear; and ▲ reporting to emergency services (119) in urgent situations.

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, visited Gimpo Airport on the afternoon of the 8th without prior notice to inspect compliance with heatwave safety rules at the ground handling site. Ministry of Employment and Labor

Minister Kim personally inspected the parking apron, baggage handling facilities, and ground handling companies’ break areas, focusing on the prevention measures for heat-related illnesses among ground crew members and the conditions for their rest.

As a result of the inspection, it was found that cool drinking water and cooling gear were being provided on site, and some air-conditioned break facilities were in operation. However, because the work areas on the large apron were spread out, there were not enough break facilities available for workers to use quickly near their workspaces.

Some break areas were either too far from the work sites or had limited capacity, making it difficult for workers to actually stop working and take adequate rest, especially during busy periods when many aircraft arrive and depart at once.

Such issues had been pointed out before, and while the Ministry had discussed expanding rest facilities with Korea Airports Corporation, airlines, and handling companies, no progress was made due to differing views over installation locations, costs, and management responsibilities.

Immediately following the inspection, Minister Kim instructed Korea Airports Corporation and other relevant agencies to clearly define each institution’s responsibilities and to promptly proceed with expanding joint break facilities. As a result, Korea Airports Corporation will support the provision of installation sites and infrastructure, while airlines and ground handling companies will share the costs and management of installation and operation, with concrete implementation plans to be devised without delay.

Minister Kim stated, "It is not enough just to have rest facilities in place. Especially during a heatwave, workers must be able to use such break facilities immediately and close to their work area when needed, and actually stop work to cool their body temperature."

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