Spain suspends or restricts working hours of outdoor workers in extreme heat

The Council of Ministers approved a set of measures to ensure the safety of outdoor workers.

The Council said it will suspend or limit the working hours of those workers who are exposed to extreme heat.

The measures will affect outdoor workers like cleaners or rubbish collectors or people working in closed areas which don’t have the conditions to deal with extreme heat.

The measures appear to be in three stages. The first will mean that some areas of work will be completely prohibited at certain hours of the day.

The second stage concerns workers who will have their working hours outside restricted or redistributed when the National Weather Agency AEMET activates a red or orange alert due to high temperatures.

Plans for preventative measures during high temperatures are set out each year, but this is the first time that certain workers will be prohibited from their activities. Vice president and minister of Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Diaz said that mandatory measures must be incorporated into labour regulations to adapt the to effects of high temperatures and climate change.

A street cleaner, Jose Antonio Gonzalez aged 60, died from heatstroke as a result of working in high temperatures in Madrid last July (2022). His son said after his death the family found Google searches on his computer for the symptoms of heatstroke and how to prevent it.