Companies begin preparations for hotter, wetter summer

Pedestrians cross a road in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul on Monday when the temperature reached above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). [NEWS1]

As Korea braces for a scorching summer with high humidity thanks to El Niño, companies are preparing for the expected heat waves.

The temperature in Seoul reached this year’s peak of 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, about 6 degrees hotter than average.

Following the sudden surge in temperature during the weekend amid high humidity, heatwave alerts were issued in Seoul as well as some regions in Gangwon and Jeolla provinces from Sunday to Monday. The weather temporarily cooled down on Tuesday, thanks to nationwide rains that started in the southern part of the country.

With climate scientists forecasting this year’s summer to be wetter than average with heavy rains in July and August, the heat index, or the apparent temperature, is likely to go up alongside humidity levels.

According to the Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology, there will be about 10 to 14 days this summer when the daily temperature is expected to rise above 33 Celsius degrees, which is more or less in line with the average of 10.5 days. More “tropical nights” are expected in July due to high humidity.

A tropical night is when temperatures hover above 25 degrees between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.

All this means that the heatwave will not necessarily last longer than usual, but could be more suffocating.

The biggest factor is El Niño, where the water temperature in the central and eastern Pacific oceans remains warmer than usual and results in heavier rainfalls.

With the upcoming summer expected to be a challenging one, companies are readying themselves to protect outdoor workers from the scorching weather while retaining productivity.

At Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, employees were served high-calorie dishes such as baeksuk, or chicken stuffed with rice — viewed as helping to boost energy levels during the summer in Korea — alongside a bottle of frozen water for lunch at the cafeteria.

The company is also handing out ice cream coupons to help employees stay cool.

HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding companies — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries — distribute air-cooled jackets, whose condensed air circulating inside the garment helps regulate body temperatures, and cool scarfs to employees when the temperature outside rises above 28 degrees.

At the companies’ production sites in Ulsan and Yeongam, South Jeolla, the 1-hour lunch break is extended by 20 minutes when the mercury rises above 28 degrees.

Portable spot coolers are switched on, with ice machines and energy candies placed inside the workshops.

“During heatwaves like the latest one, even air-cooled jackets are not enough,” said a source from a shipbuilding company. “We are taking extra care to prevent outdoor workers from suffering heat exhaustion.”

The steelmaking industry, which is notorious for its high heat levels during production, is also drawing up its own battle plans.

Posco, for example, is deploying what it calls “a safety bus,” which provides employees with a place to rest and cool down. The buses visit certain parts of the production plants that have consistently high temperatures or low ventilation, according to the company.

Meanwhile, electronic makers are expecting the demand for air conditioning units to surge ahead of the summer.

LG Electronics' production lines for dehumidifiers and air conditioners at its Changwon factory in South Gyeongsan are already running at full capacity.

Demand for dehumidifiers is outrunning supply, according to the company.

“The discomfort index inevitably surges when the temperature and humidity level rise, boosting the demand for dehumidifiers,” said an LG Electronics spokesperson.

“As the heatwaves arrived earlier than usual, businesses are scrambling to meet the triple bottom line of protecting employees’ health, retaining productivity and expanding customer services,” said an industry source.

BY KIM MIN-SANG, PARK HAE-LEE AND CHOI SUN-EUL [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]