Approval for a pioneering new instruction in the sphere of the public administration that establishes the need to identify the jobs where risks are greatest and people are more vulnerable so that prevention measures can be applied and obligatory protection plans implemented.

The instruction, published in the municipal gazette, recognises that the sustained increase of temperatures and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather phenomena are clear signs of climate change, which recent studies have shown brings consequences for people’s health. This measure means that all staff (municipal and sub-contracted staff alike) will have enough information before the arrival of the summer, with related training, specific medical checks and the identification and monitoring of prevention measures, with actions carried out to be recorded. These measures will have to be incorporated where necessary into concessions and current contracts and also added to future tendering processes.

In general terms, the new instruction precisely establishes what to do in a heatwave, with six different scenarios according to the level of the alert given by the Catalan Weather Service. In the highest alert, for instance, it will be prohibited to work alone outside and continuous working time will be limited to 20 minutes at the most, with mandatory rests of two minutes in locations which allow staff to regain balanced temperatures. In addition, the instruction requests the planning and execution of the most physically demanding tasks carried out in the central hours of the day, with staff rotas to be established if this is not possible.

In the case of alerts where the risk threshold is not so high, the instruction points to the need to follow prevention measures such as the use of sun cream and headwear and the reassignment of the most demanding physical tasks to those who are not so heat sensitive. It also calls for systems where staff work in pairs.

It also notes that where there is no specific heat level, everybody needs to be familiar with the protection plans and associated measures, and that the ideal scenario where people who work outdoors and in places which are not air-conditioned between June and September have hydration stops and use loose-fitting clothes with breathable fabrics etc.

Where there are signs of somebody having heat stroke, for instance with a body temperature over 40 degrees, headaches or vertigo, nausea and vomiting, red skin, hot but not sweating, accelerated breathing and heartrate, cramps or alteration of mental state, the instruction notes the need to call the emergency 112 service immediately. Besides taking the affected person to a cooler and ventilated area, it notes they need to be given water, be dowsed and ventilated until medical staff arrive. If a person loses consciousness, they need to be put on their side until medical staff arrive.