publishedJuly 19, 2022, 3:35 p.m
Record temperatureWhen is there no heat at work?
The asphalt is glowing, people from Büezer are suffering from the heat. Trade unions demand heat-free from certain temperatures.
The heat is particularly tough for those who work in the blazing sun.
20min/Matthias Spicher
There is no heat-free period, but trade unions are calling for a construction freeze from 35 degrees.
20min
Europe is groaning under the heat wave. In Spain, a street cleaner dies following working for three hours in 39 degrees in the blazing sun. The heat is also plaguing the people of Büezer in Switzerland. There is no heat-free period, but trade unions are calling for a construction freeze from 35 degrees.
According to Johann Tscherrig from the Syna trade union, longer, physically demanding work at these temperatures is not reasonable. This is dangerous to health, so the activity must be stopped.
The employer must guarantee health protection, says Urban Hodel from the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions to 20 minutes. Environmental epidemiologist Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera from the University of Bern warns of serious health problems at high temperatures in the workplace (see box).
Employers must therefore take protective measures now, for example by providing water and shaded areas. At the construction company Kibag, the employees also get breathable clothing and sunglasses. According to a spokeswoman, surface builders were also given caps with neck protection or straw hats.
4000 liters of sunscreen
The construction giant Implenia gives its employees around 3,000 to 4,000 liters of sunscreen throughout the summer. In addition, employees start work earlier and leave earlier. They are outside in the morning and in the building in the followingnoon heat. At SBB, on the other hand, the employees do the most physically demanding work, whenever possible, on the cool night.
However, according to Unia, these measures are no longer sufficient for longer, hotter and more frequent periods of heat. Binding rules are therefore needed as to when heat makes work impossible for health reasons and when measures need to be taken. The employers’ association is once morest a ban on working at high temperatures. However, the companies might take measures on their own.
It’s cold in the store
In other places there is also no heat-free. On request, the large retailers refer to their supply mandate. For the employees, however, the temperatures are usually pleasantly cool due to the requirements for the shelf life of the products, according to a Coop spokesman.
The pharmaceutical multinational Roche does not have a heat-free rule either, but has air-conditioned workplaces. Similarly, Novartis has air-conditioned buildings, and employees say they can choose where, when and how best to work. Swisscom also relies on flexible working.