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In Germany, as temperatures soar, the issue of heat protection in workplaces is gaining increasing attention. While the country has a solid legal foundation for heat protection, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Workplace Ordinance, the lack of a uniform, nationwide maximum workplace temperature remains a concern.
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has been advocating for more employer controls to ensure heat protection measures are in place, particularly in high-risk sectors like construction. For construction workers, the DGB demands that work should stop once temperatures reach 33°C outdoors, with compensation for builders during such heat conditions.
However, the Chamber of Crafts of the Palatinate believes that businesses cannot plan for "short-term temperature peaks" with rigid rules like "must take a break between 12 and 17 hours when it's 35 degrees." Instead, they suggest practical measures such as rescheduling intensive activities to cooler times, ensuring hydration, and wearing protective clothing.
The Greek government, on the other hand, has taken a more drastic approach, banning outdoor work during heat waves in many parts of the country between 12 and 17 hours.
The health insurance company IKK now considers intense heat periods a "serious health risk." Over 500 employees in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and the Saarland have reported sick with heat-related complaints by mid-July this year, compared to around 400 such sick notes in the whole of 2024. Postal and courier workers, construction workers, craftspeople in the construction, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering sectors, and educators have reported the most heat-related sick days so far this year.
The German Medical Association has called for binding heat protection plans, and the President of the State Medical Association of Rhineland-Palatinate, Dr. Günther Matheis, has also urged for such plans. Matheis also emphasizes the need for existing workplace protection to be consistently implemented to prevent heat-related illnesses.
If the temperature in the workplace exceeds 35 degrees, the office is no longer suitable as a workplace, and the employer must provide an alternative. Possible measures for heat protection in the workplace include setting up fans, ventilating at night or in the early morning, installing blinds, loosening the dress code, providing drinks, allowing flexible hours, longer break times, and more.
The DGB in Rhineland-Palatinate does not advocate for a general work stoppage between 12 and 17 hours when it's 35 degrees outdoors, as in Greece. Instead, they suggest that existing rules should be subject to stricter controls and more personnel for relevant authorities such as the occupational safety authority.
Despite the lack of a nationwide maximum workplace temperature, the discussion about establishing binding heat protections more broadly remains ongoing in Germany.
- The concern of heat protection in workplaces has become more prominent in Germany's science and environmental-science sectors, given the increasing temperatures.
- Workplace-wellness and health-and-wellness initiatives are instrumental in advocating for employer controls to ensure heat protection measures, particularly in the manufacturing, construction, and education-and-self-development industries.
- Fitness-and-exercise routines have taken on a new significance in personal-finance and lifestyle discussions, as they can help prepare individuals for intense heat periods, mitigating heat-related illnesses.
- Technology advancements have played a crucial role in climate-change discourse, contributing to the development of novel solutions for heat protection in workplaces and homes-and-garden.
- The issue of heat protection in the workplace extends beyond Germany, with the Greek government implementing stringent measures like banning outdoor work during heat waves.
- Finance and business professionals are keenly interested in the potential economic impact of heat-related illnesses, as illustrated by the significant increase in sick notes in certain sectors this year.
- Sports organisations and shopping centres are being urged to implement their own heat protection plans to safeguard players, employees, and customers, especially during high weather conditions.
- Therapies-and-treatments, such as occupational therapy and electrolyte replacement, can help healthcare providers address heat-related complaints and help individuals recover from heat exhaustion.
- Nutrition plays a vital role in managing heat-related illnesses, with experts emphasizing the importance of staying hydrated and consuming cooling, nutrient-rich foods.
- Education-and-self-development opportunities related to heat protection are gaining traction, as more people seek to learn about the issue and how to combat its effects on their lifestyle and business operations.
