The protection of the health rights and interests of new-type low-temperature workers urgently needs to be strengthened——
Epidemic prevention meets cold winter again, low-temperature work labor protection hopes to "heat up"
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Employers’ heating supplies are not in place, and temporary cold shelters that meet the epidemic prevention requirements are not enough... Under the epidemic prevention and control, the protective measures and system shortcomings of new-type low-temperature workers urgently need to be supplemented.
In addition to urging employers to strengthen low-temperature labor protection, relevant experts suggest that a "local version" of low-temperature labor protection policies be issued as soon as possible.
At 1 am on December 29, 2020, Shenyang, minus 18 degrees Celsius.
On the same day, the Central Meteorological Observatory upgraded the cold wave warning to orange warning.
At an outdoor nucleic acid testing site in a residential area, the sampling work of nurse Zhang Jingyang and his colleagues is nearing completion, waiting for scattered residents to be tested.
The cold wind blew Zhang Jingyang, who was wearing protective clothing, stamped his feet with cold.
Zhang Jingyang is one of many nucleic acid samplers called by Shenyang urgently.
On December 22, 2020, Shenyang added a new confirmed case of new coronary pneumonia. Subsequently, Shenyang urgently carried out a nucleic acid test for all at-risk groups. As of 17:00 on December 28, 2020, 21973 people were sent for inspection.
Under the epidemic prevention and control, new types of low-temperature workers such as outdoor nucleic acid samplers, epidemic prevention checkpoint workers, and cold chain food killers have emerged.
In the freezing winter of Northeast China, their protection needs to be strengthened urgently.
Unstoppable cold
Although there are heating long trousers, cashmere cotton trousers, wool sweaters, down jackets and snow boots, it is still difficult to withstand the cold of long-term outdoor work.
Zhang Jingyang felt the coldest parts of his body are his hands and buttocks.
Because she had to hold the cotton swab, open the sampling container, and record the number, she could only wear thin medical rubber gloves, and another layer when it was too cold.
Community workers sent hand warmers and wool pads, but they still could not withstand the cold.
Zhang Jingyang participated in 9 sampling operations, this time staying outdoors for up to 4 hours.
Without professional outdoor warming products, the skin on the third joint of her left index finger was chapped.
According to my country's national standard "Classification of Low-Temperature Operations", during the production process of workers, operations where the average temperature at the workplace is equal to or lower than 5 degrees Celsius are considered low-temperature operations.
Low-temperature operation can cause systemic effects in addition to local frostbite.
"The temperature difference reached 40 degrees Celsius. It was hot and cold. I ran more than 10 times inside and out. My throat became irritated the next day." On December 28, 2020, the security guard Gao Yong’s community temporarily added an epidemic prevention checkpoint for Residents in the community take their body temperature.
At the same time, he also undertook the killing work in public areas, and he needed to carry a 20 kg disinfection box.
Worrying that his clothes were too heavy to climb the stairs, he only wore a cotton coat distributed by the property, a single hat and woolen gloves, and he was busy with sweat on his chest and back.
To catch up with the peak period of entry and exit, residents in and out of the community kept coming, and Gao Yong was too busy to enter the sentry box with electric heating.
The reporter found that there are many outdoor worker lounges on the streets of Shenyang, but because the samplers often work far away from the street lounges, and they are afraid of causing secondary pollution, they have not been used.
According to the epidemic prevention requirements, the protective clothing cannot be taken off to drink hot water during work.
Low temperature protection needs to be strengthened
The "Classification and Catalogue of Occupational Diseases" revised in 2013 listed frostbite as a new occupational disease.
The "Occupational Disease Prevention and Control Law" stipulates that employers should provide workers with protective equipment that meets the requirements and provide occupational health protection in low-temperature environments.
Yang Zhanbo is a cold chain food killer in an imported seafood supermarket.
Starting from December 21, 2020, the storage of imported cold chain food in Shenyang will be managed in a special warehouse, and the storage, handling, and handling of imported cold chain food will be completely isolated from other goods.
The length of his work in the cold storage has tripled.
Protective clothing, face screens, disposable gloves, medical masks... Employers are equipped with virus protection products, but there are few cold protection products.
Every day, Yang Zhanbo takes off his work clothes, shoes, hats and masks 3 times in the designated low-temperature area connected to the cold storage.
"The military coat I wore before couldn't fit into the protective clothing, so I had to wear two down jackets a day without cotton shoes, cotton hats, cotton knee pads." Yang Zhanbo said.
In addition to the inadequate distribution of thermal supplies in some employers, temporary shelters that meet the requirements of epidemic prevention are not enough.
Temporary plastic tents were set up at some epidemic prevention sites to increase the temperature by at least 5 degrees Celsius, but this is still not enough.
"If the tent cannot be airtight, it will be filled with air. Without the power supply condition, the electric heater cannot be used." Gao Yong said.
"Two frostbite on the left hand, just apply chapped ointment for a few days." "I'm used to freezing, drink a bowl of ginger soup at night and take a hot bath. It's okay"... The reporter interviewed several outdoor staff at random. Little is also known about cryogenic labor protection.
System shortcomings urgently need to be filled
"Employers should be urged to distribute warming supplies and provide shelters that meet the requirements of epidemic prevention. In the long run, the government should include new types of low-temperature workers in the low-temperature labor protection system and issue labor protection policies for low-temperature operations as soon as possible." Sociology of Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences Said Wang Lei, director of the institute.
Based on sampling experience, Zhang Jingyang suggested that epidemic prevention points are mostly near residential communities and commercial outlets, and a batch of mobile cold-proof motor vehicles can be collected and managed and killed by relevant personnel.
Following the action of the sampler is more cost-effective than building a one-time cold shelter and temporary cold shelter.
Yang Zhanbo appealed to caring people to care about sanitation workers and courier brothers, but also to pay attention to the heat and cold of new low-temperature workers, so that they can also wear cotton vests and large cotton boots.
"I hope the government encourages and guides more manufacturers to invest in the research and development of lightweight cold-proof labor protection products." Yang Zhanbo said.
Wang Lei suggested that, as soon as possible, study and introduce labor protection measures for low-temperature operations, and each province will make detailed classifications based on local low-temperature conditions, formulate local rules and regulations, and provide policy guidance for the distribution of internal cold-proof products for enterprises.
In addition, the employer should appropriately adjust the work and rest time of the workers according to the local climate conditions and work conditions, and establish and improve various management systems for labor protection.
(Some interviewees are pseudonyms)
Reporter: Liu Xu