Filenews 28 July 2023 - by Adamos Adamou
Prohibited by decree on two-wheelers for delivery but also on construction sites after a red or orange warning.
The truth is that Greece came first, taking measures for delivery people, that several Mediterranean countries are constantly considering and announcing measures to deal with the ongoing heat wave, but yesterday it was our turn to take additional and stricter measures to protect workers from heat stress, as it is commonly called the risk that workers run from the increase in temperature during the summer.
Specifically, yesterday, the Minister of Labor Yiannis Panayiotou, after informing the Council of Ministers, issued a decree that covers not only the distribution of ready food, as initially thought, in case of very high temperatures, but also other jobs and employees working outdoors.
A little later yesterday, the United Nations indirectly but clearly confirmed the need for additional measures in our country, with the secretary general of the organization warning that the period of global warming is over and that "the era of global boiling has arrived".
After 10 years...
The decree of the Minister of Labour, issued under the Safety and Health at Work Laws, was published yesterday and entered into force immediately. In practice, however, it will be activated if the Meteorological Service issues an orange or red warning. It is noted that this year a red warning has not yet been issued but an orange warning has been issued, without excluding another one. Yesterday, the Met Office issued a yellow warning, which, if not changed, will be in place until six this afternoon, as the maximum temperature is expected to rise to 42 degrees in inland areas and around 33 degrees in the higher mountains.
The decree provides that in cases of red or orange warning, a horizontal and universal prohibition applies to outdoor work, such as on construction sites and in general in construction, for the first time, as we are informed, after almost 10 years.
The decree also provides:
"Regardless of the organizational and technical measures taken, in any case of warning of the Department of Meteorology issued for extremely high temperature, the following shall apply in the areas of validity of the warning:
(i) At the red risk level, it is required that all outdoor heavy and moderate work be stopped during the hours when the warning is in effect.
(ii) At the orange risk level, it is required that all outdoor heavy and moderate work be stopped between the hours of 12:00-16:00, if the warning is in effect.
(iii) At the red and orange risk levels, it is required that transport and/or delivery operations using two-wheeled vehicles or personal mobility devices, such as the transport and/or delivery of products/food/mail, be stopped between the hours of 12:00 and 16:00, if the warning is in effect."
Heavy and mediocre work
The Department of Labour Inspection gives examples that are also recorded in the existing Code of Practice for heat stress in relation to work gravity.
Examples for moderate work include: fencing installation, concreting, brick building, plastering, painting, floor laying, tile laying, carving, forging, transporting light objects, carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, mechanical work, aluminium laying, railing installation, asphalt paving work carried out by mechanical means.
For heavy work, the following examples are given: Intense manual work, processing and installation of reinforcement, assembly / disassembly of molds, digging or breaking hard materials with mechanical tools / devices / machines weighing more than 15 kg, asphalt paving works carried out by manual means.
