Employers should ensure workers with 2 liters of water

In light of the high temperatures lately, the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova (CNSM) insists that employers should ensure all the measures required by the national legislation to protect employees. “Employers are obliged to ensure security and prevention measures for their workers in periods with extreme temperatures, so as they are not affected by the hot weather during working hours”, Oleg Budza, the head of CNSM told Info-Prim Neo. According to CNSM, the national legislation stipulates that employers should take measures to provide minimum healthy working conditions when temperatures rise above +30 degrees Celsius. The intensity and the rhythm of physical activities should be reduced, adequate ventilation should be provided, dynamic efforts and time for work with breaks should be reduced as well. At the same time, in hot weather workers should be ensured with 2 to 4 liters of mineral or saline water per person as well as with individual protection equipment and showers. The Trade Union recommends performing medical check-ups of the workers on time so as to identify their health risks associated with high temperatures and adjust their work hours where possible. Also, in emergencies employers should provide first aid and transportation to the closest medical unit of the workers affected by the hot weather. The employers that are unable to ensure these measures have the right to decide together with the employees' representatives on how to adjust work hours in hot weather. In the same context, CNSM requests the 5relevant authorities to conduct inspections and take other measures to detect and sanction the employers that do not respect security requirements during hot weather. The national legislation punishes such violations by fines ranging from 1,200 to 10,000 lei. The State Hydrometeorological Service forecasts temperatures around 36 degrees Celsius in day time in the coming days.