Photo by: reuters
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called on employers to adhere to health and safety regulations and protect workers from dehydration and heat stress amid a recent heatwave that has engulfed the country.
“We call on all, especially on employers, in agriculture, construction, public works and those industries associated with warm and hot environments, such as mining,” it said.
It further advocated for the implementation of a heat plan should temperatures rise to dangerous levels, recommending that workers be given regular breaks and be provided hydration.
“When employees happen to work in hot conditions, employers should provide access to cool rest places to help them regulate their body temperature. This could be an air-conditioned area indoors or a shaded area on an outdoor job site.
“They should also follow weather alerts and measure the heat and humidity in the workplace to ensure they have not gone above dangerous levels,” the union held, calling also on the Department of Labour to ensure that workers were not forced to work under dangerous conditions.
Temperatures in Gauteng were expected to reach new records on Thursday and were expected to exceed 40 °C in some areas. The Western and Northern Cape provinces had also seen temperatures of near or above 40 °C this week.