Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia calls upon all employers and employees to apply preventive occupational health and safety measures at high temperatures so that the risk to employees’ health would be reduced. When the air temperature goes over 36°C, employees who are working in the open, such as workers in construction and agriculture, are actually working in disadvantageous working conditions, which can affect their health in a negative way.
The symptoms of harmful effect of high temperatures to employees’ health are numerous, for instance: dehydratation, faster fatigue, heat cramps, exhaustion, dizziness, heat stroke, which can lead to the decrease of work capacity, more mistakes at work, but also injuries. CATUS reminds that in 2007 the Government of Serbia passed a recommendation which says that at high temperatures employers are to organize work in the open in a way to avoid difficult physical work and direct exposure to sun.
That is why CATUS appeals to all employers, coordinators and OHS representatives, OHS Committees, as well as employees to strictly respect those recommendations.
These are some of guidelines for organizing work: avoid work during the hottest part of the day (11-16 o’clock), redistribution of work tasks (difficult tasks should be done in a colder part of the day), work in shifts, employment of additional staff, more frequent breaks, sufficient quantities of water and organization of first aid training. Furthermore, employees should be able to take off their protective means during the break, have enough space to get away from the sun and rest.
