Background information

During the summer heatwave of 2022, the Labour Inspectorate began receiving numerous calls from concerned workers who were required to work in extremely high temperatures. Notably, existing occupational health and safety regulations do not specify when work should be suspended due to temperature extremes or what the requirements for temperature in workplaces are. As of July 2022, the Labour Inspectorate implemented a policy allowing it to suspend indoor work when temperatures exceed 30 degrees if the employer has not provided measures to mitigate the health risks to ensure occupational safety. Labour Inspectorate introduced heatwave guidelines for employers. These include for example more frequent breaks for employees working in high temperatures and ensuring an ample supply of drinking water, preferably with added minerals.

Content of measure

This is a new policy introduced by the Labour Inspectorate. The organisation has labour inspectors who deal with concerns reported by employees by phone or by email. Starting from July 2022, Labour Inspectorate will suspend work in indoor workplaces where physical labor is conducted, and the indoor air temperature equals or exceeds 30 degrees, in case the employer has not implemented sufficient measures to protect employees' health. There is no further eligibility criteria regarding type of occupation or sector. The Labour Inspectorate did emphasize they will respond swiftly and suspend work in workplaces that had received similar heat-related complaints during the previous year's heatwave.

There is no monetary support for this measure.

Use of measure

In the summer of 2022, Labour Inspectorate received 86 calls from employees concerned about high temperatures in the workplace. No further information is available.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Applies to all workers	Does not apply to businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Public support service providers	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

No involvement.

Views and reactions

No views or reactions.

Sources

• 30 June 2022: Tööinspektsioon: peatame töö kohtades, kus siseruumi temperatuur ületab 30 kraadi (www.ti.ee)
• 01 January 2023: Töökeskkonna ülevaade 2022 (www.ti.ee)