Construction Sites Benefit from Doosan Enerbility’s Heat-Related Illness Prevention Program

As part of the efforts to battle the extreme summer heat, Doosan Enerbility is carrying out heat-related illness prevention and safety programs at its construction sites in Korea.

On August 8th, Doosan Enerbility announced that it was holding the “Doosan Ice Day” event, which involves sending iced coffee trucks to construction sites in Korea for the site workers.  The event was devised as a way to help the employees of Doosan and partner companies, who are all working diligently during this unprecedented heat wave and prolonged monsoon season, to meet the project deadlines and record zero accidents.

Doosan Enerbility has been sending these coffee trucks since late July to a total of seven plant EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) sites, including the Gimpo Combined Heat & Power (CHP) Plant and Dangjin LNG Terminal sites, as well as the construction sites of offices and expressways.  The site supervisors and directors themselves have been handing out the iced coffees, fruit juices and other various cold beverages to the site workers, along with words of appreciation for their hard work.

The company is also taking measures to prevent any heat-related illnesses by issuing heat-sensitive color-changing stickers at the construction sites where a large majority of the work takes place outdoors.  The heat-sensitive stickers which are attached to the workers helmets are designed to react to the change in external temperature by changing color to indicate at which level of risk the workers are exposed to.  The temperature indicator is divided into the three levels – Caution, Warning and Danger – which is used as the basis to take proper health-protective measures for the workers, such as shortening their work hours and putting a halt to outside work.

“We’re hoping that these iced coffee drinks will provide the workers with some temporary reprieve from the sweltering heat,” said Heejig Lee, Vice President of Doosan Enerbility’s EHS and Management Division. He added, “We plan to do our utmost to safeguard the health of our workers and prevent any heat-related illnesses at the construction sites.”

Doosan Enerbility has a policy emphasizing the importance of “water, shade and rest” for its workers at construction sites and is running a variety of related programs aimed at preventing heat-related illnesses during the season of extreme heat.  All the construction sites have ice maker machines installed to help employees stay constantly hydrated and break rooms and shade canopies are set up on-site as part of the preventive safety measures.

▲Employees of Doosan Enerbility and partner companies pose for a photo in front of the coffee truck set up at the Hamyang-Changnyeong Expressway construction

▲The site director Hyungdo Lee (on the right) hands out coffee to the employees at the Hamyang-Changnyeong Expressway site in Hapcheon County.

▲Image of heat-sensitive color-changing sticker attached to the workers’ helmets