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Busan Metropolitan City Activates “Dual Safety Shield” Against Heatwaves to Protect Senior Job Program Participants from Field to Home

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced the launch of special countermeasures to protect senior job program participants from safety accidents and health risks during the record-breaking heatwave forecasted for this summer.

The city plans to strengthen its field-based response system and activate a safety network involving participants, implementing agencies, and the local government.

Key measures include:
▲ The nation’s first safety manager training for “Team Leader Seniors” in the senior job program
▲ Operation of “Field Safety Inspection Days”
▲ Adjustment of working hours and locations based on heatwave alerts
▲ Provision of safety supplies to prepare for heatwaves
▲ Intensive management of high-risk groups for heat-related illnesses
▲ The first-ever initiative linking the senior job program with residential safety policy by distributing fire safety stickers for electrical outlets to households without sprinklers.

First, approximately 2,700 “Team Leader Seniors,” who play a leadership role among participants, will be designated as “Field Safety Managers.” Beginning July 17, in cooperation with the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and Inje University’s Busan Paik Hospital, the city will conduct the nation’s first field safety manager training program. The training will be held across all 16 districts and counties over the course of a month.

The training consists of a three-hour, field-oriented program covering both theory and practical skills, including CPR and first aid, to ensure that Team Leader Seniors can fulfill their roles as on-site safety supervisors.

Through this initiative, Team Leader Seniors are expected to take a central role in ensuring workplace safety, managing participant health, and responding quickly to emergencies.

Second, from July 14 to 18, the city, along with 16 districts/counties and 106 implementing agencies, will conduct “Field Safety Inspection Days.” The inspections will cover 296 outdoor project teams, checking for risks of heat-related illnesses and safety hazards, and addressing on-site threats in advance.

Third, the city has adopted a flexible management standard that adjusts working hours and locations according to heatwave alert levels. Project activities are suspended when the perceived temperature reaches 35°C or higher.

< Response Measures by Heatwave Level >

Heatwave Level	Criteria	Measures	Alternative Activities
Danger (Alert)	≥ 38°C perceived temp.	Suspend activities	Remote learning (e.g., workbooks)
Warning (Alert)	≥ 35°C perceived temp.	Suspend activities	Remote learning (e.g., workbooks)
Advisory (Watch)	≥ 33°C perceived temp.	Shortened hours, adjust schedule, switch to indoor work, provide items like hats, sleeves, bottled water	Internal training by agency, support from professional instructors, remote learning
Attention	≥ 31°C perceived temp.	Shortened hours, adjust schedule, switch to indoor work, provide items like hats, sleeves, bottled water	Internal training by agency, support from professional instructors

Fourth, the city will also enhance physical protections to safeguard participants’ health. In July, all 63,000+ participants will be provided with heat-protection items such as cooling scarves (neck coolers).

Previously, in June, the city distributed over 106,000 safety supplies to participants, including bottled water, hats, cooling sleeves and vests, and sunshades.

Fifth, the city will focus management on high-risk groups, such as those of advanced age or with underlying health conditions. Implementing agencies will conduct phone calls and home visits to monitor participants’ health regularly.

Finally, Busan will implement the nation’s first policy linking the senior job program with residential safety.

In collaboration with the city’s Fire and Disaster Headquarters, 1,500 sets (six per set) of electrical outlet fire safety stickers worth approximately KRW 15 million will be distributed to participant households living in apartments without sprinklers.

This marks the first linkage of the senior job program with residential safety policy and is expected to contribute to resolving blind spots in summer fire safety for senior households.

The fire safety stickers automatically activate at around 170°C when outlets overheat, discharging fire-extinguishing agents to suppress fires at an early stage. They operate independently without requiring external power or activation.

Additionally, from July 3 to 8, the city conducted emergency heatwave inspections of all 1,056 project teams under 106 implementing agencies. Emergency contact networks and safety personnel assignments have been completed 100%.

As of July 14, there have been zero reported cases of heat-related illness, confirming that the emergency response system is operating stably.

Jeong Tae-ki, Director General of the Social Welfare Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “This year’s heatwave countermeasures are especially significant as the first multilayered protection system extending from the worksite to participants’ homes.” He added, “We will continue expanding policies that comprehensively support the safety, social participation, and independence of seniors, upholding these values as key to a ‘Safe Busan.’”