As the temperature rises, Korean employees receive ice vests and have their work hours altered

Some of the largest corporations in South Korea are providing ice vests and modified hours to employees as the country braces for more oppressive heat this month.

Workers at the largest steel production in the country, Posco Holdings Inc., and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. are allowed to take longer breaks to avoid heat-related illnesses, while employees at the petrochemical giant LG Chem Ltd. are given ice vests to stay cool. According to officials, the modifications were recently made as a result of rising temperatures.

Widespread regions of the planet, from Asia to Europe and the Americas, are being baked by extreme temperatures, which is straining electricity grids and endangering the health of people. Earlier this week, South Korea upped its heat wave warning to its highest level in four years due to several regions of the country seeing temperatures above 38C (100.4F).

A variety of catastrophic weather events have wreaked havoc on South Korea, killing people and damaging homes and highways last month as landslides and flooding occurred. According to the National Fire Agency, at least 22 individuals have died as a result of the recent intense heat.

According to the organizing committee, Yonhap News reported that more than 100 participants at the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea have developed heat-related illnesses. This week’s event has attracted 43,000 young people from 158 different countries. The safety of the attendees was entrusted to the minister of gender equality and family, who is also co-heading the organizing committee, by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration’s 10-day prediction, which was announced on Thursday, high temperatures are anticipated to prevail. In most of the country, the apparent temperature will probably be about 35 degrees Celsius.

If temperatures are predicted to stay over 33C for longer than two days, LG Chem is also providing prolonged breaks as a way to deal with the heat. The hours for employees engaged in outdoor construction have changed, according to battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution Ltd., in order to protect them from the hottest hours of the day.

Samsung Electronics Co. said the business complies with national regulations and continually monitors temperatures at its working places to safeguard the safety of employees. Shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean Co. said it would extend lunch breaks by an hour if temperatures above 31.5C.