Last year the Honorable Ignazio Abbate brought to public attention a problem which unfortunately has existed for years and regularly repeats itself during the hot season, namely the working conditions of all those people who are forced to carry out their work outdoors open air with temperatures well above 30 degrees, very high humidity levels and scorching sun all day. A situation which in recent years has also worsened due to the undeniable rise in temperatures to the point of becoming unsustainable as well as causing numerous illnesses in the workplace. “It is clear that this problem is there for all to see, even if those who don’t experience it often don’t pay much attention to it.
Last year – declares the Honorable Abbate – I was going to Palermo and, despite the air conditioning on in the car, I noticed how the heat was suffocating. At that moment my gaze fell on some workers on a road construction site. It was almost 1pm and they were under the sun at almost 40 degrees breathing dust and exhaust fumes. That image struck me a lot. From that moment I tried to bring this situation to the attention of the regional political world in order to do something. Today something finally moved. We are working towards a provision that will become law.” The exponent of the DC refers to a draft memorandum of understanding proposed by the unions, INPS and INAIL which prohibits so-called “outdoor” work (road workers, construction workers, agricultural workers, etc. etc.) from 12pm to 4pm in the presence of temperatures above 35° or in any case with a humidity level such as to make one perceive a temperature higher than the real one.
“I had the opportunity to examine this draft protocol which will now have to be examined by the trade associations and naturally by the Government. There is also talk of the possibility of activating the CIGO (intended for extraordinary events not attributable to the will of the employer or worker) once the data provided by the regional Civil Protection weather service has been compared. If this protocol is approved, it will be sent to all the mayors of the municipalities in the Sicilian territory, so that they can work to issue specific ordinances that prohibit the carrying out of all those production/work activities exposed to thermal risk, in the time slot that goes from 12:00 to 16:00″.
