SEOUL — South Korea’s Minister of Employment and Labor, Kim Young-hoon, conducted an unannounced safety inspection at Gimpo International Airport on August 8 to evaluate working conditions for ground handling staff facing severe heatwave risks. The sudden visit led to immediate directives instructing relevant authorities to establish joint rest areas for outdoor workers.
The inspection came as the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters raised its heatwave response level to Stage 2. Airport ground handlers perform high-intensity physical labor outdoors, including aircraft towing, guiding, and baggage loading. These workers face extreme vulnerability to heat illness, as tarmac surface temperatures at Gimpo International Airport recently surpassed 50°C (122°F) due to direct sunlight and intense radiant heat from concrete runways.
Minister Kim personally inspected the apron, baggage handling areas, and ground service break rooms. He focused on assessing compliance with the government's five key heatwave safety rules, including regular perceived temperature measurements, mandatory rest intervals, provision of cold water and cooling gear, and emergency protocols for heat-related illnesses.
Under current ministry guidelines, outdoor work must be shortened or rescheduled when perceived temperatures reach 33°C. When temperatures exceed 35°C, outdoor tasks should be halted between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM. At 38°C or higher, all non-emergency outdoor labor must stop immediately.
While cold water and personal cooling equipment were being supplied at the airport, the inspection revealed a significant shortage of accessible break facilities near active work zones. Because ground operations span vast areas, many existing rest spaces were located too far away or suffered from limited capacity. Consequently, workers found it difficult to take adequate breaks during peak flight arrival and departure hours.
Although the ministry had previously held discussions with the Korea Airports Corporation, airlines, and ground handling firms, progress on expanding rest areas had stalled due to disagreements over location allocation, costs, and management responsibilities.
Following the inspection, Minister Kim ordered the entities to divide responsibilities and fast-track the installation of shared cooling facilities. Under the new agreement, the Korea Airports Corporation will provide land and infrastructure support, while airlines and ground service operators will share installation, maintenance, and operating expenses.
"It is not enough for rest facilities to simply exist," Minister Kim stated. "Workers must be able to access them quickly near their work zones and actually step away from their duties to lower their body temperature during extreme heat." He added that given the essential nature of ground handling for flight safety, robust measures must be implemented to protect outdoor workers as temperatures continue to soar.
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