After inspecting 30 private construction sites, the Seoul Metropolitan Government identified 31 instances of inadequate heat-related illness prevention measures. This averages out to one violation per site. What stands out is the nature of the violations. While most sites were following basic guidelines—such as providing drinking water and setting up rest areas—shortcomings were found in areas where compliance must be verifiable, such as the maintenance of rest facilities, recording of perceived temperatures, and operation of air conditioning units.
In this article, we will summarize the findings of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s inspection, the current criteria for work stoppages during heat waves, and the key factors that distinguished sites with deficiencies from those with exemplary compliance.
Inspection Overview
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 24th that it inspected 30 private construction sites in the city from the 3rd to the 7th and issued corrective orders for 31 cases of inadequate heat-related illness prevention measures. The inspection focused on the “Five Basic Rules for Heatwave Safety”—comprising water, ventilation and shade, rest breaks, cooling equipment, and first aid—as well as whether outdoor work was suspended during high-risk hours.
What Was Found
Violations included failure to comply with management standards for rest facilities at sites with construction costs exceeding 2 billion won; failure to record perceived temperatures and corresponding measures; insufficient supplies of preventive items such as bottled water; air conditioning units not in operation; and inadequate implementation of rest periods. The Seoul Metropolitan Government ordered that issues requiring immediate correction—such as rest areas lacking air conditioning—be addressed on-site without delay.
For reference, construction sites with a project cost of 2 billion won or more are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act to meet standards regarding the appropriate size of rest facilities, a temperature range of 18–28 degrees, and ventilation. These are legal requirements, not mere recommendations. The fact that non-compliance with these management standards was still identified as a violation highlights one aspect of this inspection.
Stages by Heat Index
Currently, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has established three tiers of measures based on the heat index. When the heat index reaches 33°C or higher, work hours are adjusted or outdoor work is shortened; when a heat wave warning is issued for 35°C or higher, outdoor work must be suspended from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. When a severe heat wave warning of 38 degrees or higher is issued, the general rule is to suspend all outdoor work except for emergency operations.
The standards themselves are specific. However, for these standards to be effective, one prerequisite must be met: the heat index at the worksite must actually be measured and recorded. The fact that “failure to record heat index and corresponding measures” was included among the violations identified in this inspection suggests that this prerequisite is not always met.
Sites Cited as Best Practices
Some notable examples were also identified during this inspection. One site installed portable shower facilities near the worksite, while another rented a studio apartment or an entire floor of a building near the construction site to create a climate-controlled break room. Sites that separately managed workers’ chronic conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as those that recorded the perceived temperature and corrective actions every two hours, were also cited as exemplary practices.
The Line Between Record-Keeping and Non-Compliance
When comparing sites with deficiencies and those with best practices side by side, a clear pattern emerges. A significant portion of the deficiencies stemmed from “failure to keep records,” while the hallmark of excellence was “recording every two hours.” While most sites were equipped with visible items such as facilities and supplies, the key distinction lay in whether there was a record of when and under what conditions the measures were implemented.
By its very nature, responding to heat waves involves conditions that change constantly even within a single day. The perceived temperature differs between the morning and afternoon, and whether work schedules need to be adjusted depends on those changes. Ultimately, the fact that “proper management was carried out” can only be proven through records taken at specific points in time. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to share the examples of shortcomings and best practices identified in this review with its 25 autonomous districts so they can be utilized in construction site management.
From Recommendation to Mandate
On the 4th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government requested that the Ministry of Employment and Labor improve regulations to mandate the suspension of outdoor work when the heat index reaches 35 degrees or higher. This decision was based on the assessment that the current recommendation-only system makes it difficult to enforce work suspensions on-site.
Choi Jin-seok, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Disaster and Safety Bureau, stated that “it is crucial for heatwave prevention guidelines to actually be implemented on-site” to ensure the safety of construction workers, and announced that the city would continue to monitor safety management practices at construction sites throughout the heatwave response period.
If this becomes mandatory, construction sites will face an additional challenge. This is because a mandatory requirement carries with it the responsibility to provide proof. If records are not kept of when the heat index reached a certain level and what measures were taken, there will be no way to distinguish between sites that complied with the regulations and those that did not after the fact.
This is where Digital Presso is focusing its attention. What this inspection revealed is that implementing safety measures and documenting them are treated as separate tasks on-site. The fact that manually recording the heat index every two hours is considered a best practice demonstrates just how burdensome record-keeping is for construction sites.
Digitalpresso’s B2B comprehensive construction platform, RenameDP, alleviates this burden by automating record-keeping. It provides site-specific risk assessments and TBM (pre-work safety briefing) documents, processed via electronic signatures, ensuring that safety measures are preserved as legal evidence without requiring separate paperwork. Since AI summarizes photos and notes posted in site-specific chat rooms on a daily basis and automatically generates daily work logs, that day’s actions are recorded the moment they are taken.
Furthermore, Digital Presso is enhancing its product with features such as “AI Site Briefing,” which automatically displays the day’s work history and key risk factors upon launching the app and instantly generates TBM documents, as well as real-time safety alerts that integrate headquarters’ instructions and supervisor requests with on-site conditions and deliver them as consolidated notifications. This stems from the recognition that, especially in hazardous situations where conditions change rapidly—such as during a heat wave—the information needed for decision-making must be consolidated on a single screen before work begins.
If you are reviewing your heatwave response documentation system this summer, please start by examining how on-site measures are currently being documented.
Heat waves are no longer exceptional events but are becoming a near-constant annual occurrence. Whether the recommendation to suspend outdoor work when the heat index reaches 35 degrees will become mandatory depends on the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s decision, but the trend is already leaning toward tightening regulations.
As regulations increase, the burden on the field ultimately lies in “how to document compliance.” This was precisely the point that distinguished inadequate performance from exemplary performance during this inspection. I hope that, alongside the strengthening of regulations, conditions that allow the field to implement them without undue strain will also be discussed.
The Korea Specialized Construction News, “Seoul City Inspects Heat-Related Illness Measures at Private Construction Sites… 31 Cases Found Inadequate,” 2026 — https://www.koscaj.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=326013
Announcement of Inspection Results on Heat-Related Illness Prevention Measures at Private Construction Sites in Seoul, August 24, 2026 (cited in the article)
Standards for the Installation and Management of Rest Facilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (cited in the article)
This content was produced by Digital Presso Co., Ltd. and references the above materials. Please refer to the original text for further details.
