Non-delivery exemptions apply during extreme heat, rain and snow

Workload adjustments for elderly, at-risk couriers; stricter rest breaks mandated

A guide to preventing heat-related illness during deliveries [Provided by CJ Logistics]
A guide to preventing heat-related illness during deliveries [Provided by CJ Logistics]

CJ Logistics has activated a special safety management program to protect delivery workers and logistics facility staff ahead of what is forecast to be a record-breaking summer. The company said it will guarantee couriers the right to stop work during extreme heat and exempt them from liability for undelivered parcels, while applying rest-break standards stricter than government guidelines.

The company announced Monday that it had notified delivery workers through its work app of heat-season safety measures and heat-illness prevention guidelines, and that the special management program will run from June through September.

Under the program, couriers who feel unwell due to extreme heat may independently suspend deliveries — a right the company calls the "work-stoppage right." If a worker logs an undelivered parcel in the app under the reason "heat-wave non-delivery," the company will not hold the worker liable for the interruption. The policy, which the company says is the only one of its kind in the industry, has been in place since last year and applies equally during extreme rain and heavy snow.

CJ Logistics will also strengthen health monitoring for couriers aged 60 and older and those with underlying medical conditions. Workers will have their blood pressure and body temperature checked at the start of each shift, and delivery volumes will be adjusted as needed to manage workloads flexibly.

Logistics centers and parcel terminals will be required to follow rest-break schedules that exceed government recommendations. Outdoor workers must rest for 10 minutes after every 50 minutes of work, while indoor workers must take a 20-minute break after every 100 minutes. The government guideline calls for at least 20 minutes of rest every two hours when the perceived temperature reaches 33 degrees Celsius or above — a less frequent standard than what CJ Logistics will enforce.

On-site safety inspections will also be expanded. The company will run a "safety patrol" system in which designated high-risk zones at each facility are checked at least six times a day. Public address announcements during rest breaks will remind workers how to call 119 and administer first aid if a heat-related illness occurs. Workers can also submit safety improvement suggestions by scanning QR codes posted around facilities; the reports are routed immediately to safety management officers.

CJ Logistics is also upgrading its technology-driven safety systems. A platform called "LOIS Temperature," developed in-house by the company's TES Logistics Technology Research Institute, automatically calculates perceived temperature from real-time temperature and humidity data inside logistics centers and alerts workers to workplace risk levels. The system is currently installed at 40 logistics centers nationwide, with plans to expand its coverage.

"We are continuing to invest in and support heat-illness prevention, while also strengthening on-site emergency response capabilities through CPR training for all employees," said Kim Yu-seung, head of CJ Logistics' safety management division. "We will keep reinforcing a field-centered management system to make our logistics sites the safest possible during heat-wave emergencies."

Meanwhile, CJ Logistics has been pursuing a range of initiatives to build safer working environments. In April, the company invited the chief executives of stevedoring and transport partners — who play a central role in its logistics operations — to its headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the parties signed a safety management pledge.


eyre@heraldcorp.com