Our reporter Zhu Xin
On the evening of July 9, the life of Guo Tengxu, a 20-year-old college student, came to an end.
On this day, he was working as a summer worker in a company in Wuhan, Hubei Province. After get off work, he fainted downstairs in the company's dormitory, and died after rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
The medical certificate of death reads, Heat Stroke.
This summer, people who lost their lives due to heat stroke due to high temperature include a 56-year-old construction worker in Xi'an, a 56-year-old sanitation worker in Neijiang, Sichuan, and a 49-year-old workshop worker in Lishui, Zhejiang... As of August 26, the Central Meteorological Observatory A high temperature warning has been issued for 37 consecutive days.
According to the National Climate Center, the comprehensive intensity of regional high temperature events since June 13 has reached the strongest level since complete meteorological observation records began in 1961.
Do you still have to work as usual in hot weather?
How to protect the life and health rights of workers?
Life-threatening work when temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius
"In high-intensity and long-term outdoor work in hot weather, the risk of heatstroke is relatively high." On July 22, when participating in the live broadcast of the work of heatstroke prevention and cooling for employees organized by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the deputy director of Guangzhou Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Institute Dean Wang Zhi said.
Wang Zhi explained that when working in high temperature weather above 35 degrees Celsius, the body's body temperature regulation, water and salt metabolism and other multi-system reactions exceed a certain limit, which will cause body disease, and may cause heat stroke in severe cases, even life-threatening.
In fact, the "Management Measures for Heatstroke Prevention and Cooling Measures" promulgated as early as 2012 has stipulated the responsibilities and requirements of relevant departments and employers to do high-temperature operations and high-temperature weather labor protection work.
The "Measures" make it clear that when the daily maximum temperature is above 35 degrees Celsius and below 37 degrees Celsius, the employer shall shorten the continuous working time of workers; when the daily maximum temperature is above 37 degrees Celsius and below 40 degrees Celsius, the cumulative outdoor hours of workers shall not exceed 6 hours; the daily maximum temperature reaches above 40 degrees Celsius, and outdoor open-air operations on the day should be stopped.
Heatstroke prevention and cooling should not be simplified as "send cool"
It is understood that in order to promote the implementation of various heatstroke prevention and cooling policies and protect the safety and health of workers, many companies have explored ways to reduce labor safety hazards.
For example, some food delivery platforms have established an emergency mechanism for high temperature protection. When the temperature is high, the delivery range is appropriately narrowed, the food delivery route is optimized, and the time when riders are exposed to high temperature weather is reduced. Intensity and safety risks; some construction sites adopt the work mode of "doing two ends and resting in the middle", workers go to work in the morning and evening, and rest during the high temperature period at noon.
However, the reporter also noticed that some employers did not pay enough attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling, and some even simplified it as "sending cool materials".
Li Qiang, who works in Shunde District, Foshan, Guangdong, is a construction worker. Every year, he and seven or eight workers go to construction sites in many cities.
A few days ago, he suffered from cramps due to excessive sweating due to long working hours in hot weather.
He told reporters that some workers had symptoms of gastroenteritis.
Regarding heatstroke prevention and cooling materials, Li Qiang recalled that some construction sites provided watermelon and beverages, and some provided Huoxiangzhengqi liquid, but many times there was nothing, not to mention benefits such as health training and high temperature subsidies.
Employers should earnestly implement the main responsibility
How to protect the legitimate rights and interests of workers working in hot weather?
Wang Zhi said that employers can work in the working hours when the temperature is relatively low in the morning and evening, strengthen the rotation of workers, and pay special attention to rationally arranging jobs.
"For people with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and other physical conditions that are not suitable for high temperature work, the employer should not arrange for them to work in high temperature weather." Wang Zhi said, in addition, the employer should also carry out prevention related to high temperature and heat stroke. Training, through various online and offline channels, try to make the training as deep as possible to every worker.
Tu Yongqian, a researcher at the National Institute of Development and Strategy of Renmin University of China, once said that local human resources and social departments, labor unions, labor inspection departments, etc. should work together to establish a dynamic adjustment mechanism for high temperature allowances, and actively negotiate with employers on behalf of workers to determine high temperature At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen labor security supervision and law enforcement, and urge employers to effectively implement their main responsibilities.
It is understood that some enterprises in Beijing, Qinghai and other places have written labor protection matters for high temperature operations and high temperature weather operations into collective contracts.
From June to August this year, the Qinghai Provincial Federation of Trade Unions negotiated on an equal footing with employers on behalf of workers, and signed 1,053 collective contracts or special collective contracts for labor protection in high-temperature operations and high-temperature weather operations, covering more than 87,000 employees.