“We don’t want the “thermal stress risk” to be addressed only after yet another tragedy at work has occurred. Therefore, as Fillea Cgil, we ask again, just over a month after the first request, to the president of the regional council, Roberto Occhiuto, to quickly issue the guidelines against the hot risk in the workplace“. This is what we read in a press release from Simone CelebreGeneral Secretary Filea CGIL.
“It is understood that climate change has significant repercussions on health and safety at work; we do not need further accidents to demonstrate the risk that exposure to heat can cause. Summer, which in Calabria, in recent years, is increasingly characterized by high temperatures, even exceeding 35 degrees centigrade, is now almost here and, therefore, the issuing of those regulations aimed at protecting those workers can no longer be postponed who, due to the tasks they carry out, are more exposed to thermal risk and therefore to prevent the many accidents, unfortunately often fatal, and illnesses related to the heat.
Those who are exposed to the risk of thermal stress are all those who carry out outdoor activities such as civil and road construction workers, as well as all those workers who carry out “significant physical activity” or who are engaged in closed environments without adequate ventilation. Considering that this year’s forecasts also point to a rather torrid summer, as a union we reiterate the need for the “hot” problem to be addressed as soon as possible without considering it extraordinary anymore.
We believe that in the next few days the president of the Calabrian regional council, Roberto Occhiuto, should issue guidelines to protect those workers who, due to the tasks they carry out, are most at risk of thermal stress and that these guidelines have a period of validity longer than last year, in order to guarantee the safety of workers from the risks caused by high temperatures, thus also allowing companies, workers and institutions to be able to plan the necessary interventions to protect health in time.
We would like to underline that the guidelines should establish that in case of temperatures equal to or above 35°, work activity must be reduced or suspended and it is possible to resort to the ordinary redundancy fund (Cigo), which is made available on construction sites. and accessible sources of water and, above all, shaded areas where you can park during breaks.
We also believe it is necessary for the guidelines to indicate the obligation for companies to remodulate timetables and workloads through specific company agreements with the RSU and/or local trade union organisations, with particular attention to small companies. Furthermore, it would be desirable for the guidelines to provide for the recognition, by the Contracting Authorities, of any delays in the delivery of the works in the event of interruptions due to extreme climatic events“, concludes the press note.
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