New Delhi: The government on Tuesday issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories, as well as its attached organisations, calling for urgent preventive and mitigation measures to protect workers and labourers from rising temperatures and ongoing heatwave conditions across the country.
In a communication addressed to Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all States and Union Territories, the Ministry of Labour and Employment stressed the need for a coordinated, multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional approach to safeguard workers, especially those in outdoor and labour-intensive sectors.
States and Union Territories have been instructed to issue necessary directions to employers, occupiers, industries and construction companies for immediate implementation of worker safety measures, the ministry said.
The advisory urges rescheduling of working hours across sectors, ensuring adequate drinking water facilities, and providing rest areas along with cooling arrangements at workplaces.
It also includes provisions for emergency ice packs and heat illness prevention materials in workplaces where required, including construction sites, as well as coordination with health departments to ensure regular medical check-ups of workers.
Factory and mine managements have been advised to introduce greater flexibility in working conditions, including slowing the pace of work during extreme heat, deploying two-person crews where continuous operations are necessary, and ensuring proper ventilation, rest spaces and cooling systems.
Special emphasis has been placed on protecting construction workers, brick kiln workers, daily wage earners and casual labourers.
States and Union Territories have also been encouraged to conduct awareness campaigns at labour chowks and public spaces, including display of posters and banners with heatwave safety messages and emergency contact information.
The Directorate General of Training and the National Board for Workers’ Education (DTNBWE) have been instructed to organise training and awareness programmes on heatwave prevention and management.
All organisations have further been asked to submit fortnightly status reports on actions taken and measures implemented for monitoring and review, the ministry added.