"Hot, So Hot"... Road Maintenance Workers Battling Heatwave

"Hot, so hot. Let's finish up quickly."

On the morning of the 30th, near Sangdangsanseong Fortress in Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, where heatwave advisories have been in effect for nine consecutive days.

Sweat poured like rain from beneath the hard hats of workers repairing road facilities on the scorching asphalt.

Between the heat rising from the road and the blazing sun beating down from the sky, just standing for a moment was enough to take one's breath away, but the workers were busy replacing damaged lane dividers.

However, less than 10 minutes after starting work, their clothes were quickly soaked with sweat.

They heavily armed themselves with cooling sleeves around their necks and arms to endure the heat, but it is far from enough to stop the "extreme heat."

Crew leader Mr. Jang said, "Working for a long time in this weather tires you out quickly and makes it hard on the body," adding, "While taking breaks in between, we are rushing as much as possible to finish the work quickly."


Mr. Jang, a road maintenance worker affiliated with the Sangdang-gu Office in Cheongju, forms a team with four colleagues to perform daily maintenance work on road facilities and potholes.

In the morning, they visit sites of civil complaints received the previous day to work, and in the afternoon, they drive around various areas to inspect road conditions.

Although work is sometimes suspended during the middle of the day, leaving damaged facilities unattended for a long time can cause traffic accidents, so the work cannot simply be postponed indefinitely.

Mr. Jang explained that working during the relatively cooler morning and evening hours is another option, but due to complaints from commuting drivers, that is not easy either.

Another team member, 29-year-old Mr. Jeon, complained, "You have to wear long sleeves even in the summer because you can get scratched or poked by tree branches," adding, "Even with cooling sleeves, working with your whole body covered makes it hard to endure the heat."

The heatwave is not the only thing they have to endure on the roads.

They can never let their guard down due to the constant concern over unexpected safety accidents.

Another team member, 55-year-old Mr. Cho, said, "Even when we set up signs indicating the work zone, there are cars that pass closely or fail to slow down, so we are always on edge," adding, "The hot weather is hard, but sometimes safety issues are even more worrying."

An official from Cheongju City stated, "During the heatwave period, we operate working hours flexibly for the health and safety of field workers and guide them to take sufficient rests," and added, "We plan to further strengthen worker management to prevent heat-related illnesses."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.