2023-09-30 07:00:52
Global warming is advancing and both companies and workers will have to adapt to a world in which extreme weather events They will become more and more frequent. Companies are beginning to be aware that climate crisis represents a threat to their businesses and income statements, and to continue operating they will have to change their ‘modus operandi’ to protect their workers.
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The number of hours per day that will become non-working hours as temperatures rise will increase. According to calculations by the International Labor Organization (OIT), in 1995 economic losses due to heat stress reached $280 billion in the United States. By 2030, this figure is expected to multiply by almost 10. And its impact will be more pronounced in lower-income and lower-middle-income countries.
In addition to the economic cost, companies are exposed to substantial fines if they do not comply with basic regulations and properly ensure the health of their workers. In Spain, sanctions can reach up to one million euros. To avoid all this, corporations have a series of measures against the climate crisis at their fingertips.
List of vulnerable groups
Not all workers are equal and some accuse pathologies previous or what they do especially vulnerable to extreme temperatures. The occupational risk prevention services of companies have the obligation to know whether or not an employee is especially vulnerable to a task and to communicate this to supervisors.
As a matter of privacy, the services should not know what type of ailment the worker suffers from, but they do know that it disqualifies him or her for certain functions or that he or she must be specially protected in certain circumstances.
The organization of work time is, according to the sources consulted for this report, essential to minimize risks. In the same way that safety measures on a construction site now have nothing to do with those of 20 years ago, those relating to temperatures should not be the same as in the 90s either.
“Adopting work organization measures that reserve lower intensity tasks for the hottest hours, that establish rotations to reduce exposure time or that establish breaks and breaks during the work day” is one of the main recommendations that they convey from the bosses Promotion of Work.
Reorganize the shifts or schedules It is especially relevant in jobs in exterior, but indoor operations also have their particular risks due to rising temperatures. A correct ventilationAccording to the director of prevention and health of the Sepra cooperative, Roser Martíhas a key role in softening both heat and cold.
The progressive renewal of air is also essential to reduce atmospheric pollution, which can lead to headaches and greater staff exhaustion.
The investment to renew the systems ventilation, refrigeration y heating of a plant or office can be expensive, but the daily savings that said investment generates can end up paying off, according to Martí, from Sepra. Especially in a context in which the price of energy seems like it will not go down and that the need to temper indoors, whether from heat or cold, will increase and for longer periods of the year.
“Acquire work clothes and equipment adequate individual protection” is another of the recommendations that Foment del Treball highlights for its associates. In this sense, it is advisable to light clothing, of Light colors and with breathable fabrics like cotton. Risk prevention experts recommend avoiding synthetic fabrics that trap heat.
Thus, other logistical measures that the business organization recommends to its associates are enabling “suitable areas” –shaded and cool- for rest, as well as facilitating the correct hydration by providing fresh water to employees. Some companies opt for isotonic tablets, which when diluted in water have a high hydrating capacity.
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