OUTDOOR HEAVY WORK SUSPENDED DUE TO HEAT WAVE

 Cyprus Mail 4 September 2020 - by Staff Reporter

All heavy labour outdoors must be suspended until 5 pm today because of the extremely high temperatures, the labour ministry has announced.

A met office red alert is in force with temperatures set to soar to about 45 C inland today while the labour ministry has also issued a warning about high concentration of dust in the atmosphere.

The ministry’s department of labour inspection said that bearing in mind the particularly unfavourable forecast regarding conditions for the rest of the day and in line with the law, it wanted to inform employers and the self-employed that all heavy outdoor work must be suspended between 12 noon and 5 pm today because of the risks the heat posed to workers’ health.

As regards light and moderate work, it reminded that a special code is in place regarding the type of work to be carried out, the weather conditions and the technical and organizational measures in place to avoid heat exhaustion. Instructions include organizing the work schedule so that heavier work is carried out during the cooler hours, regular short breaks in a cooler space, rotation of employees, provision of cool drinking water and provision of head coverings among other.

Under the code, for temperatures between 39C to 44C in the shade, work must be interrupted depending on the relative humidity and depending on the kind of work.