Raise umbrellas for outdoor workers on the streets and alleys. Guarantee | High temperature | Workers
Recently, the country has experienced prolonged high temperatures, with many people choosing to stay at home and order takeout. As a result, delivery personnel have become increasingly busy, rushing through the streets and alleys in the scorching heat. Outdoor workers such as traffic police and construction workers are also sticking to their posts. While paying tribute to them, protecting the health rights and interests of workers under high temperatures has become a topic of great concern.
To avoid damage to the health and safety of workers caused by high temperatures, early prevention is crucial. Employers should recognize that "death from heat" is not a joke, and should not rely solely on experience to judge whether the temperature is high or whether one should rest. They should actively prevent heatstroke from the source, establish a sound system for heatstroke prevention and cooling, and scientifically and reasonably arrange work under high temperatures by adjusting working hours, improving the working environment, increasing shift rotation, etc., avoiding hot periods as much as possible, and shortening the duration of outdoor continuous work.
The Management Measures for Heatstroke Prevention and Cooling Measures have clear provisions in areas such as high-temperature work, high-temperature protection, and high-temperature subsidies. However, in practice, some companies have not implemented the relevant policies as expected. Some employers simply understand heatstroke prevention and cooling as "sending cool supplies", turning the allowances that should have been paid on time and in full into "paper benefits". Some employees who suffer from heat stroke due to high-temperature work are difficult to identify as work-related injuries, and the workers sweat but feel cold.
Protecting the rights and interests of workers cannot be just talk on paper, and relevant departments need to work together to provide workers with a "sunshade umbrella". The health department should fully analyze the heatstroke prevention and cooling needs of people in different industries and positions, and formulate preventive measures. The trade union should represent employees in negotiating with employers on labor protection for high-temperature operations. The human resources and social security departments and labor supervision departments should strengthen law enforcement inspections and smooth channels for reporting and complaints.
High temperature care also needs to adapt to new situations and meet new needs. At present, there are still blind spots in the protection of the rights and interests of workers in new forms of employment. As an important object of high-temperature labor protection, some traditional protection measures are not suitable for the work characteristics of new forms of employment workers. For example, the delivery staff's working hours are during peak dining hours, which happens to be the time of the day when the sunlight is strongest, making it difficult to implement a compensatory break mechanism during high temperature periods.
It is worth praising that some food delivery platforms dynamically adjust the delivery range for riders based on weather conditions, reducing the time riders are exposed to the outdoors. Trade unions in various regions also provide convenience for new forms of employment to escape the heat by constructing outdoor labor service stations. The industry association has proposed an initiative to provide protective equipment and rest areas for food delivery workers. But these are not enough. To create a "green shade" for workers in new forms of employment, more innovative and humane policies need to be introduced. Relevant departments should intensify research and update protective measures in conjunction with new changes and trends in the labor market. This not only respects and affirms the value of workers, but also reflects social development and progress of the times.
