Italy’s labour ministry set to introduce anti-heat protocols for workers.
Outdoor work has been banned in around a dozen Italian regions during the hottest hours of the day as Italy issues its highest heatwave warning for 18 cities on Wednesday.
In the northern Lombardia region around Milan, open-air work is banned from 12.30 to 16.00 on days when the health ministry’s “red alert” heatwave warning is in place, under new legislation in force from Wednesday until 15 September.
The working ban affects roadworks, quarries and construction sites and also extends to the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
Similar measures have been introduced this week by regions across Italy, including Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Liguria, Puglia, Sardinia, Sicily and Tuscany.
The move by the regions come after a 47-year-old construction worker near the northern city of Bologna died on Monday after suffering a suspected heatstroke while pouring concrete.
Two workers fell ill on Tuesday while working down a hole on a construction site near Vicenza in the northern Veneto region, with one reportedly left in a coma.
Efforts to limit work under the sun comes as the government prepares to introduce measures on Wednesday to keep workers safe during the ongoing heatwave, news agency ANSA reports.
The move comes as hospital emergency units in parts of Italy register a surge in heat-related admissions in recent days, with blackouts recorded in several Italian cities due to the heatwave.
