The circular of 16th April, 2024 from the Government of Puducherry’s Commissioner of Labour addresses the advisory and preparatory measures to minimize the adverse effects of extreme hot weather, as directed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.
The measures outlined in the circular include rescheduling working hours, regulating piece rate requirement for physical work, providing drinking water facilities, emergency heat illness prevention material, coordinating health check-ups, and ensuring adherence to health advisories.
Specific focus is placed on construction workers and brick kiln workers, with instructions for awareness dissemination at marketplaces and bazaars. Additionally, the circular includes health advisory instructions from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, emphasizing the provision of cool drinking water, shaded work areas, scheduling strenuous jobs to cooler times, increasing rest breaks, and acclimatization to hotter climates. Employers and workers are also advised on factors such as recognizing heat-related illness, acclimatization, clothing, and emergency response plans.
Moreover, the circular urges stakeholders to maintain sufficient quantities of drinking water and buttermilk at workplaces, along with essential medicines, intravenous fluids, and ice packs during intense heat. Employers, occupiers, industrial/construction associations, workers unions, and workers are directed to comply with these precautionary measures to mitigate heat wave situations.
