The Ministry of Labor seeks to amend the Occupational Risk Prevention Statute. The objective is to establish the prohibition of working outdoors during orange or red alerts of extreme heat issued by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET).
The measure, which will be applied outdoors, will be implemented to avoid very serious episodes that have led to the death of workers due to heat stroke.
This is especially true for those who work in occupations such as street cleaning or garbage collection.
The forthcoming regulation will include the requirement to adapt working hours and reduce working hours in response to notifications issued by the AEMET.
These measures are part of a package of actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the drought.
Working outdoors will be prohibited due to heat stroke
The need to adapt work activities to climatological factors is essential to avoid serious episodes and protect workers’ health.
Heat stress can be very dangerous and affect the long-term health of workers.
Hence, work is being done on a modification of the Occupational Risk Prevention Statute, which will establish objective criteria for compliance and which will be controlled by the Labor Inspectorate.
So far, the Ministry of Labor has carried out two initiatives through the Labor Inspectorate to monitor companies’ compliance.
Although from now on they are already obliged to suspend professional activities in the central hours of the day on heat risk days.
However, the wording of the text was lax and left compliance with the standard up to the companies.
AEMET Warnings
The new regulation establishes a direct relationship between the prohibition and the warnings issued by the AEMET, which provides objective criteria to ensure compliance.
The ban on working outdoors during orange or red alerts of extreme heat will affect many work sectors that carry out their activities outdoors. These include construction workers, farmers and cleaners.
However, the measure does not imply the suspension of work activity, but rather the adoption of measures to avoid exposure to high temperatures.
In this regard, companies should take individual protection measures for their workers, such as the use of appropriate clothing and the availability of fresh water.
Also adjust schedules and working hours to avoid the central hours of the day.
Companies should look for alternatives to develop their activities indoors or during the cooler hours of the day.
This may require the reorganization of schedules.
