[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

The government has launched a safety review of its disability employment program, which involves about 35,800 participants nationwide, to address heat wave risks. The plan calls for shifting outdoor duties indoors during severe heat and cutting working hours when necessary to prevent heat-related illness among participants.

Cha Jeon-gyeong, director general for disability policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, visited the Yongsan-gu Disability Convenience Facility Promotion and Technical Support Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday morning to inspect working conditions and heat safety management for program participants and to hear about difficulties on the ground.

The disability employment program is a public jobs initiative launched in 2007 to provide work experience and income to people with disabilities who face barriers to employment. About 35,800 people are participating this year, with roughly 50 job types across general, welfare and specialized categories based on the degree and nature of each participant's disability.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare requires placement institutions to operate the program flexibly during summer heat waves, prioritizing participants' health and safety. Institutions must brief participants on heat wave safety guidelines and regularly check their physical condition.

On days of severe heat, institutions must shift outdoor activities indoors or shorten working hours to prevent heat-related illness. An emergency contact system is also in place so that participants, placement institutions and program operators can reach one another quickly when an urgent situation arises.

During Tuesday's visit, the ministry focused on participants' health management, whether working hours had been adjusted during heat waves, the status of indoor duty transitions and the functioning of the emergency contact system. Officials also gathered feedback on operational difficulties and suggestions for improving the program.

Four people with disabilities work full time at the inspected institution. They visit public institutions in Yongsan-gu to check whether accessibility facilities for people with disabilities are properly installed and maintained — a role known as disability accessibility facility monitoring. Their average monthly wage is 2.09 million won ($1,470).

Because the job requires direct on-site visits, workers face potential exposure to extreme heat. In response, the institution has minimized field monitoring during the heat wave period and shifted to indoor-focused work, such as organizing and analyzing previously collected monitoring data. The ministry also confirmed Tuesday that this operational shift was being carried out properly.

"As heat waves are becoming more prolonged due to climate change, it is more important than ever to run the program with the health and safety of disability employment participants as the top priority," Cha said. "Please make sure participants are fully briefed on heat safety guidelines, and carefully manage their working conditions — whether by shifting outdoor activities indoors or shortening hours when needed — so they can work safely."


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