Construction companies in South Korea are halting work when perceived temperatures exceed 35°C to protect outdoor laborers from extreme heat [1].
These measures address the rising risk of heat-related illnesses and safety accidents during the summer months. By integrating real-time data into safety protocols, firms aim to reduce worker fatalities and health crises caused by high humidity and temperature.
Lotte Construction and other firms are currently monitoring approximately 80 outdoor construction sites [1]. The companies utilize a map-based monitoring dashboard that tracks temperature and humidity every five minutes [1]. This system allows safety centers to identify high-risk areas instantly.
Under the current safety protocol, work is stopped once the heat index reaches 35°C [1]. The monitoring system further categorizes risks using a color-coded warning system. A red-zone warning is triggered when the perceived temperature exceeds 38°C [1].
"Red blinking dots indicate dangerous areas where the perceived temperature exceeds 38 degrees," said YTN reporter Son Hyo-jeong [1].
As temperatures climbed during recent monitoring, the number of sites classified as dangerous increased to 12 [1]. This real-time tracking allows the Lotte Construction safety situation center to manage site conditions dynamically, ensuring that workers are not exposed to lethal conditions.
"If it exceeds 35 degrees, work stops," said a YTN anchor [1].
“"If it exceeds 35 degrees, work stops,"”
The adoption of IoT-based heat monitoring represents a shift toward data-driven safety management in the South Korean construction industry. By moving away from static weather reports to site-specific, real-time perceived temperature data, companies can implement more precise work-stoppage orders that balance productivity with worker survival in an era of increasing extreme weather events.
