The measure is part of the royal decree adopted this Thursday to deal with the consequences of climate change and establishes the specific obligation to take adequate measures to protect workers in extreme temperatures.
The Spanish government has approved a series of measures to protect workers from heat waves, including the prohibition to perform certain tasks in a few hours when there is orange alarm or red alarm for high temperature issued by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet).
As explained after the meeting of the Council of Ministers by the Chief of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis PlanasThis new decree law incorporating the measure makes the conditions regarding the impacts of climate change “stricter” by prohibiting certain tasks in those conditions of extreme heat when there is a risk to health.
During the summer 2022 the average of the recorded temperatures between June 1 and August 31 was the highest since the beginning of the historic series. In those months there was an increase more than 4,800 deaths due to temperature throughout Spain.
Last summer, a 60-year-old worker died while fulfilling his work obligations cleaning streets in the streets of the district Vallecas, in Madrid; and another lost his life in the field loca (Murcia), where he did not even have access to water or other means of hydration.
“It is no longer possible to view this phenomenon as an isolated event, but rather as one growing trend which will lead to scenarios like the current one being reproduced more and more often,” Trabajo added.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
