Rotating Shift Work First Month

The KOSHA guide on health management for shift workers (「교대작업자의 보건관리지침」, KOSHA GUIDE H-22-2019) defines shift work as "a work schedule or way of organizing work that extends a workplace's total operating hours by dividing workers into 2 or more crews that each work in different time slots." Section 3.(1) of the same guide defines night work as "shift work that includes time between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day," and a night worker as "a worker who does at least 3 hours of normal work in each night work period."

Read a shift-schedule label as two numbers. The front number is how many crews there are; the back number is how many work blocks the day is divided into.

The back number sets how long one work block is; the front number sets the rest structure. If the crew count equals the number of blocks (3-crew 3-shift), every block is covered by all the crews, so in principle there is no off-duty crew; if there is one extra crew (4-crew 3-shift), one crew is off in each rotation. The same "2-shift" gives a different number of days off per month with 2 crews and with 4 crews. If a job posting only says "2-shift" (2교대), ask back about the crew count.

The legal definition of night work is a time window

Article 56 (3) of the Labor Standards Act defines night work as work between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day, and requires an extra payment of at least 50 percent (100분의 50) of ordinary wage for it. Whatever the company calls your crew, the hours you actually work inside this window are what the premium applies to.

However, this premium rule does not apply to workplaces with 4 or fewer regular workers. Under the delegation of Article 11 (2) of the Labor Standards Act, the Enforcement Decree, Article 7, and its Annexed Table 1 list only Articles 54, 55 (1), and 63 from Chapter 4 (working hours and rest) as applying — Article 56 is not on that list.

The shift schedule is written in company documents

Matters of shift work are a required item of the work rules (취업규칙) — "matters on the start and end times of work, break times, holidays, leave, and shift work" (Labor Standards Act, Article 93, Item 1). A workplace with 10 or more regular workers must write these work rules and file them with the Minister of Employment and Labor. Fixed working hours must be stated when the employment contract is made, and a document stating them must be handed to you (same Act, Article 17 (1) 2 and (2)). Rather than guessing "it's manufacturing, so it must be 3-shift," reading these two documents is faster.

The shift-pattern field in BIZ360's small-giants site information takes only four values: day / 2-shift / 3-shift / mixed (주간·2교대·3교대·혼합). It is extracted from posting text, so it does not carry the crew count (2, 3, or 4 crews). Use this field as a first filter between 2-shift and 3-shift, and confirm the crew count at the interview. Each value carries a source label (company-confirmed, posting-based, or public data), and when all four fields are unconfirmed, the site-information area itself is not shown on the list card.

Night work is a hazardous factor subject to special health check-ups under the Industrial Safety and Health Act. The obligation to carry out these check-ups lies with the employer (Article 130, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act). Even the pre-assignment health check-up conducted before assigning the worker to the job is the employer's obligation (same article, Paragraph 2). The employer must conduct the check-up before assignment and inform the special health check-up institution in advance about the work the employee will be responsible for and the information about the hazardous factors involved (Article 204 of the Enforcement Rules of the Act).

Target criteria — Appendix 22 of the Enforcement Rules "4. Night work (Type 2)"

Article 201 of the Enforcement Rules defines the hazardous factors under Article 130, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Act as listed in Appendix 22. There are only two items under the night work section in Appendix 22, and the original text is as follows:

• a. If an employee performs more than four times per month on average continuous 8-hour work that includes a period of 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM for six months
• b. If an employee performs more than 60 hours per month on average work during the time between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM the next day for six months

If either of the above applies, the employee is a target. Appendix 22 does not include conditions that distinguish between regular and irregular work schedules, nor does it have a separate standard that converts monthly averages into accumulated number of times or accumulated hours. As soon as you receive your first work schedule, you should count how many times you are assigned to the night shift and how many hours you work between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM per month.

Timing and Frequency — Appendix 23 of the Enforcement Rules

Paragraph 1 of Article 202 of the Enforcement Rules states that the timing and frequency specified in Appendix 23 must be followed for each hazardous factor. Item 6 of Appendix 23 groups all the hazardous factors in Appendix 22, excluding Items 1 through 5, and sets the timing as within six months after assignment and the frequency as every 12 months. Night work falls into this category.

If you have already received it from your previous company, you may be exempt from the pre-assignment health check-up. If an employee has received a pre-assignment health check-up at another workplace for the same hazardous factor and 12 months have not passed since then, the employee may be exempt by submitting the health check-up individual form or a copy of it to the employer (Article 1 of Article 203 of the Enforcement Rules. Night work falls under Item 6 of Appendix 23, so the principle of 6 months is not applied, and 12 months is used instead).

Who receives the results

Receiving the results is also the employee's obligation. However, if the employee receives a corresponding health check-up at a health check-up institution that is not designated by the employer and submits documents proving the results to the employer, it is considered as having received the results (Article 133 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act — a single article without item distinctions).

After the results are obtained, there are three possible paths:

• Health check-up institution → Employee: The health check-up individual form must be sent to the employee within 30 days from the date of the check-up (Paragraph 1 of Article 209 of the Enforcement Rules). If a suspicious condition is found, the institution must explain to the employee within the same period the medical opinion, necessary matters for post-management, and whether the employee is suitable for work (Paragraph 2 of the same article)
• Employer → Measures: If the employer considers it necessary to maintain the employee's health based on the results, appropriate measures such as changing the workplace, switching tasks, shortening working hours, or limiting night work must be taken (Paragraph 4 of Article 132 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act)
• Employer → Explanation: The obligation to explain the results arises when the Industrial Safety and Health Committee or the representative of the employees requests it. The health check-up results of individual employees cannot be disclosed without the employee's consent (Paragraph 2 of the same article)

There is only one thing to do in the first month. Confirm with the safety and health officer whether you have received the pre-assignment health check-up or if you haven't, when you will receive it. Since the deadline for the first special health check-up is six months after assignment, if you don't check it in the first month, you will find out only after the deadline has passed.

KOSHA GUIDE H-22-2019 (Announced 2019-10-01) by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) applies to all workplaces where shift work including night work is conducted. As this is a technical guideline, there are no penalties for non-compliance. Below is only the content from the guideline that can be used immediately in the first month. The guideline also includes other recommendations from section 4.2 and recommended health check schedules in section 5.1 (7)·(8).

Recommended Work Schedule Design (4.2)

• Do not work more than 3 consecutive days during night shifts
• After completing all night shift duties, ensure at least 24 hours of rest before starting morning shift duties
• Shift rotation should be in the order of morning shift → evening shift → night shift in a forward direction
• Do not start morning shift work too early
• End night shift work as early as possible to allow workers to get more sleep
• Provide advance notice of shift schedules to workers so they can predict the schedule

Section 4.1 of the guideline first states that "there are no universally optimal and general recommendations applicable to all types of shift work." If the work schedule rotates in the reverse direction or has more than 4 consecutive night shifts, you can refer to this statement when speaking to the team leader or safety and health officer. It is important to note that these are recommendations, not mandatory requirements.

Matters for Employers to Consider (5.1)

• When working at night, ensure the workplace is brightly lit, and the temperature is about 1℃ higher than during daytime work, but does not exceed 27℃
• Napping is effective in preventing drowsiness, so it is recommended to allow short naps during high-risk work. Sleeping areas should be installed in quiet and vibration-free locations, and separated by gender
• Since company cafeterias are often closed at night, ensure that regular and appropriate meals are provided. Appropriate meals are those that are low in calories and easy to digest
• Regularly check the health status of shift workers and document and keep records of this information

The guideline refers to napping as "short" napping. There are no specific time measurements such as minutes or hours mentioned in the guideline.

Personal Lifestyle Habits (5.3)

• After night work, go to bed as soon as possible and sleep for at least 6 hours continuously, although there may be individual differences
• Inform your family about your shift schedule and ask for cooperation to ensure no noise is made around you while you are sleeping
• Avoid exercising within 3 hours before bedtime, as excessive exercise can cause you to wake up quickly and hinder recovery
• Avoid heavy meals, coffee, and alcohol before bedtime
• Drink water frequently, even if you do not feel thirsty, during shift work

There is no mention of blackout curtains or sunglasses in this guideline. The only measures for daytime sleep mentioned in the guideline are the above items.

People with Restrictions on Night Work

Employers must not assign pregnant women or those under 18 years of age to work between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM or on holidays (Article 70, Paragraph 2 of the Labor Standards Act). Exceptions apply only if the employer has received approval from the Minister of Employment and Labor, and the following conditions are met: ① with the consent of the person under 18 years of age ② with the consent of a woman who has not passed one year postpartum ③ with the explicit request of a pregnant woman. Before receiving approval, employers must honestly consult with worker representatives regarding the implementation and methods to ensure the health and maternal protection of the workers (same article, Paragraph 3). If a worker is assigned to the night shift without their consent or request, it is not a matter for negotiation.

To assign women aged 18 or older to work during this time or on holidays, the employer must obtain the consent of the worker (same article, Paragraph 1). However, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 70 apply only to businesses with four or fewer employees continuously, and Paragraph 1 does not apply (Article 7 of the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act and Appendix 1).

Handover is the process of passing on what the previous shift knows to the next shift. Information that is not passed on becomes unknown to the next shift. In the first month, you must write down the following four items on paper. If you just listen and pass it on, it will disappear after two hours.

1. Abnormalities and actions taken by the previous shift — This is not just saying "there was some noise, but it's okay now." You must receive details such as what happened, when it happened, how it was handled, and who is aware of it.
2. Equipment shutdown/maintenance history and lock status — Whether there are equipment that are under maintenance with energy sources blocked (LOTO), and who has the authority to unlock them.
3. Remaining material quantities and the timing of lot/serial number changes — Whether materials will run out during your shift, or if the lot/serial number will change.
4. Unfinished instructions — Instructions that the previous shift did not complete and passed on. If you do not receive them, it will be considered as something you did not do.

If it's unclear, do not pass it on

If the handover status seems dangerous and the previous shift has already left, you do not make a judgment on your own and proceed. Workers can stop work and evacuate if there is an imminent risk of industrial injury, and must report this evacuation immediately to supervisors or others (Article 52, Paragraph 1 and 2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act). Supervisors or others who receive the report must take necessary measures for safety and health (Article 52, Paragraph 3 of the same Act). Employers cannot dismiss or treat workers unfairly if the worker had a reasonable and credible belief that there was an imminent danger (Article 52, Paragraph 4 of the same Act).

When the work changes, training follows

In the first month, there are often frequent changes in line movements and processes. Employers must provide safety and health training for the relevant work to workers when they are hired and when the work content is changed (Article 29, Paragraph 2 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act). When hiring for or changing work content to hazardous or dangerous work, additional training beyond the above is required (Article 29, Paragraph 3 of the same Act). If you are asked to stand in front of unfamiliar equipment without training, that is a procedure you can request.

If the terms from the handover (LOTO, TBM, 4M change, FIFO, near-miss accidents, etc.) are unfamiliar, review the BIZ360 OJT Glossary before starting work. Handover is brief, and there is no time to ask again. Translation versions of the glossary in other languages are being expanded sequentially.

Check against your first payslip

When you receive your first payslip, compare the night shift premium to see if it matches the actual working hours from 10 PM to 6 AM as per your schedule. If the payslip continues to conflict with the employment contract and schedule, contacting the Ministry of Employment and Labor (1350) is the official route.

Reference Date — August 20, 2026. The cited provisions are from the Labor Standards Act (implemented on October 23, 2025, Act No. 20520), the Industrial Safety and Health Act (implemented on June 1, 2026), the Enforcement Rules of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (Employment and Labor Ministry Ordinance No. 477, implemented on August 1, 2026), and its Annexes 22 and 23, and the Enforcement Rules of the Labor Standards Act (implemented on October 23, 2025), Annex 1. Since systems change, before actually disputing or applying, check the current provisions again at the National Legislative Information Center.