The government approved a series of measures to counter the effects of global warming at an extraordinary Cabinet meeting this Thursday. climate crisis And drought. At the workforce level, there is a strengthening of corporate obligations. prevention of occupational hazards. Companies should update and modify their risk assessment plans to specifically take into account peak points. heat and how they should react before and during to minimize any hazards to worker health. This may or may not mean stopping the activity.
In other words, companies themselves will decide which activities are prohibited and which are not during heatwaves. Besides the government will hold responsible if they are within or under the working day your criteria There is a temperature related accident.
Once the State Meteorological Service (AEMET) activates the orange or red alert, outdoor activities will be banned, provided the affected companies determine that the planned preventive measures already activated do not guarantee the protection of workers. If they can change or reduce the working day and minimize these risks, it will not be necessary to suspend it.
Currently, every company has to have an occupational risk prevention plan which should include, among other things, an assessment of all these hazards specific to the activities of the company in question. For example, in the case of a company structure, falling from a height, rupture of materials, the toxicity of dust from materials and a long etc. Formally, it should include all possible identifiable risks associated with the activity in question. And for many activities, one of those risks, if they will, is temperature. outdoor or not.
Which sectors and activities will be affected?
But they all have some that need to keep this in mind more than others, regardless of whether they are working at the same time. clean Air For example, low temperatures are a risk for workers working in confined spaces. cold roomsso much so that the law requires companies to consider rest times during the day to avoid prolonged exposure to the cold.
In case of heat, kitchens 50% of restaurants are also sources of high temperatures that may pose a direct risk to the health of employees. Outdoors, the highest-risk cases have traditionally been structureHE area And infrastructure installationlike concerts or shows.
All companies should redo their occupational risk prevention plans and identify this new risk, which in most cases should be considered beforehand. Both the risk and the reaction to it. In the vast majority of cases, companies outsource the preparation of risk prevention plans to specialist companies. According to Generalitat data, three out of four Catalan companies outsource.
When will the activity be banned?
The government obliges companies to clearly state the risks, but the criteria for deciding whether to stop an activity extreme temperature same: if this represents a threat “serious and close” for workers’ health. And who determines what a “serious and imminent” threat to workers’ health is? The company itself, through its occupational health managers, often linked to human resources departments.
Usually in large companies union delegates specializes in occupational health and risk prevention, which notifies the company when they detect such a threat. They even have the power to order a halt to activity if they sense a major risk approaching. However, SMEs This figure is rarer or often non-existent, and it is usually at the sole discretion of the company whether or not to cease operation.
Companies should update their prevention plans to indicate their response when the State Meteorological Service warns of an orange or red level phenomenon. The Government does not specify what could be done to stop the activity or take other preventive measures.
At what temperature is it forbidden to work?
there is not one concrete temperature A company has to cease operating. There is no specific reference in any law that says all trades are prohibited, for example at 35 or 40 degrees. The risk of thermal stress is linked to other factors such as both temperature and humidity. 40 degrees in the shade and in a dry climate is not the same as 30 degrees in the sun and high humidity. More humidity, more thermal sensation. Issues such as work clothes, breaks and available water sources also play a role.
In every prevention plan, risks and conscientiousness should be detailed. In most cases, these plans are created by a non-operational subcontractor who personally supervises an average of six and a half hours per year.
What should I do if the company decides not to cease operation?
If a worker feels tiredhave headacheHE tide or have muscle ramps should stop automatically while performing its functions. These are the main symptoms associated with heatstroke that occur when the human body temperature is exceeded. 40 degrees. Here, according to the basic recommendations of the Generalitat Labor Department, the worker should stop, notify a colleague so that he is the one to call the emergency room or the company’s medical service.
Every employee has the right to lodge a complaint with the company. labor inspection to appear in person with the company and assess whether there is an obvious risk to workers.