Ministry of Employment Inspects Foreign Workers' Workplaces and Accommodations in Rural Areas to Prepare for Heatwaves

[Financial News] The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 17th that it will conduct an emergency inspection of agricultural work sites and accommodations for foreign workers working under the Employment Permit System (E-9) in cooperation with local governments for one month.
 This is to protect the health and safety of foreign workers in rural areas, who are vulnerable to disasters and often work outdoors, in preparation for summer heatwaves.
 To this end, the Ministry of Employment and Labor's local offices and local governments will form a 'central-local joint inspection team.' The joint inspection team will comprehensively inspect and support the preparedness for heat-related illnesses at farms and the local healthcare system.
 Before the inspection, the Ministry of Employment and Labor guided all farms employing foreign workers to voluntarily improve through 'self-inspection.' For 150 vulnerable workplaces identified through the results, the joint inspection team plans to conduct on-site inspections concurrently.
 Additionally, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and local governments will also conduct multilingual safety rules and counseling support, improve poor cooling facilities, and inspect accommodation management conditions.
 The joint inspection team will deliver the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 'Five Basic Heatwave Safety Rules' produced in 17 languages to foreign workers and employers and check whether they are applied on-site. Multilingual counselors and interpreters from the Ministry of Employment and Labor's local offices will accompany the inspection to enhance foreign workers' understanding.
 The joint inspection team will check for the presence of shade structures and local cooling devices at work sites and guide improvements for insufficient facilities.
 Furthermore, they will inspect the management conditions of farm accommodations. This is to check the state of cooling facilities and equipment, as well as electrical and fire facilities, in the agricultural sector, where there are many outdated accommodations. This considers the increased fire risk of temporary structures during the hot season, such as the foreign worker accommodation fire accident that occurred in Muan, Jeonnam on the 12th.
 Separately from the inspection, the Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to monitor the management of heat-related illnesses through the 'Foreign Worker Support System.' Through initial monitoring conducted within three months of foreign workers' placement at workplaces, they will check the compliance with safety rules by workplaces and workers and provide cooling supplies.
 Kwon Chang-jun, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, stated, "This emergency inspection is significant as it is conducted in a regionally integrated manner with local governments who know the rural conditions better than anyone else," adding, "Foreign workers are valuable members and neighbors of our society, and we will make every policy effort to ensure they are respected and can stay safely in their workplaces and accommodations."


jhyuk@fnnews.com Kim Jun-hyuk Reporter