Because of the high temperatures, the medical officers are pushing for the introduction of a siesta in Germany based on the southern European, especially Spanish, model. “When it’s hot, we should be guided by the way southern countries work: getting up early, working productively in the morning and taking a siesta at noon is a concept that we should adopt in the summer months,” said the chairman of the Federal Association of Physicians in the Public Health Service ( BVÖGD), Johannes Nießen, the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND).
“People aren’t as efficient as usual when it’s very hot,” Nießen continued. “Poor sleep without cooling down at night also leads to concentration problems.” From the doctor’s point of view, complex work requirements should therefore be postponed to the early hours of the morning. “You also need enough fans and lighter clothing, even if the dress code in the office doesn’t allow it.” It is also important to drink a lot more and eat light food in several smaller portions. “A cold footbath under the desk would be another way to cool down in the home office,” said Nießen.
DGB complains about failures of employers
The board member of the German Trade Union Confederation, Anja Piel, meanwhile called on employers to regularly prepare heat risk assessments during the summer months in order to ensure occupational safety during high temperatures. “Employers must protect their employees from the heat – working in the heat is stressful for employees and, in the worst case, endangers their health,” the trade unionist told the RND newspapers. “Hazard assessments are the basis for tailor-made protection.”
However, these are still not standard in companies, Piel continued. She spoke of a “failure by employers that is completely unacceptable in view of climate change and extremely hot summers”. Piel also called for offices with temperatures of more than 35 degrees to be closed unless the employer offers tools such as air showers.
sti/kle (afp, dpa, kna)
Source: DW
