ZAGREB, 25 Aug (Hina) - According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), extreme heat causes 22 million work-related injuries and almost 19,000 deaths worldwide every year. Summers are becoming increasingly hot, and outdoor work is gradually becoming more dangerous, warns the Construction Workers' Union.

Summer heat, which intensifies year after year due to climate change, increasingly affects outdoor workers, while the existing legal framework in Croatia - as in much of the European Union - is not effective enough in protecting their health and lives. This is confirmed by trade union experiences from the field, as well as by warnings from the Ombudswoman, who has announced concrete recommendations for amendments to the regulations.

Work without shade, without water, without safety

"Workers regularly contact us with problems related to working outdoors during the summer months. These vary from the lack of air-conditioned rest areas, cold drinking water, and frequent breaks, to complete exposure to the sun on construction sites without any protection," said Domagoj Ferdebar, Secretary General of the Croatian Construction Workers' Union, in a statement for Hina.

Particularly affected are coastal and rocky areas, where workers work without shade and without the possibility of sheltering in air-conditioned containers since, when they do exist, these containers often reach temperatures of up to 60°C, he said.

For years, the union has been sending appeals to employers before the summer, urging them to organise working hours and conditions in accordance with weather circumstances. They propose more frequent breaks, shifting work to cooler parts of the day, providing water and air-conditioned rest areas. But, according to Ferdebar, employers' reactions are inconsistent.

Larger companies are generally better organised, especially those also operating abroad, since they transfer occupational safety standards from other countries. However, among smaller contractors, and particularly subcontractors on large projects, systematic protection is often lacking. Everything depends on how aware or willing to invest a particular employer is, Ferdebar said.

Humidex and real heat stress

In its appeals, the union also refers to data from the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), which measures actual heat stress using the Humidex index.

"A temperature of 29°C in the shade with relative humidity of 45 percent can mean a heat load equivalent to 34-35°C. If a worker is working directly in the sun, that can jump to as high as 43°C," Ferdebar explained.

The situation is even worse in road paving, where workers endure radiation from asphalt laid at 160°C.

Ombudswoman: Working in the heat is becoming a human rights issue

The potentially deadly consequences are confirmed by ILO data: globally, extreme heat causes over 22 million work injuries and nearly 19,000 deaths each year. In Croatia, this topic is only just entering the public sphere, Ombudswoman Tena Šimonović Einwalter told Hina.

"Working in extreme heat can truly be inhumane and affects the fundamental rights of workers, such as the right to health, to safe working conditions, and even to life," she warned. She added that it is also an issue of equality, since heavy physical labour is more often performed by workers with lower incomes and lower levels of education, among whom the most vulnerable are the elderly and those with health problems.

After analysing the applicable regulations and the recommendations of the competent authorities, her office concluded that the legal framework needs to be improved. Recommendations are being prepared for the Ministry of Labour to finally establish clear and enforceable rules, in cooperation with employers, unions, meteorologists, and occupational health experts.

What do the regulations say, and why is that not enough?

The most concrete legal obligation for employers is found in the Workplace Safety Regulation, which prescribes that in cases of working in high or low temperatures, the guidelines of the relevant public health institute must be followed. However, the problem is that these guidelines are just that - guidelines, not binding rules, Ferdebar said.

He added that, unlike Croatia, some EU member states have already started to regulate working conditions in the heat.

The Ombudswoman pointed out that the European Environment Agency calls for making protection obligations for workers who work outdoors a priority of EU public policies, while the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) this summer demanded the adoption of a special directive on working in extreme heat.

"Workers are often left to fend for themselves. If they complain, they can be accused of refusing to work. Employers will say that the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service shows 31°C, and that it's not that bad. But when the actual heat stress is calculated, it can be extremely risky," Ferdebar said.

Ombudswoman Šimonović Einwalter stressed that working in extreme heat is no longer just a technical issue of work organisation, but a matter of human rights, equality, and public health. The need for clear, concrete, and binding rules is becoming ever more urgent, since climate change shows no sign of slowing down, while working people in the field cannot wait for the system to "adapt", she said.