Now that the weather is (finally) nice, it undoubtedly feels like a blessing for many after all the rain. However, the FNV warns of the dangers of working in the sun and heat. Recent figures show that skin cancer is one of the fastest-growing types of cancer. The 500,000 outdoor workers in our country – about 5% of the workforce – have a 2 to 3 times higher risk of skin cancer.
Outdoor workers have 2 to 3 times higher risk of skin cancer
Meanwhile, employers are massively violating the Health and Safety at Work Act, which is intended to ensure safe and healthy working conditions, even in heat and sun. According to the FNV, a concrete heat plan is urgently needed to reduce the number of cases of skin cancer, heat accidents, and fatalities.
‘The complacent attitude we have in the Netherlands about working in the heat and direct sun is unjustified,’ says vice-chair Kitty Jong. ‘While the shocking figures are flying at us and climate change is causing increasingly extreme weather, as a country we have no idea, no plan of action, and no Updates legislation. We are naive and unprepared, and that needs to change.’
Amend Health and Safety at Work Act and CLAs
Unlike other countries, the Netherlands lacks sufficient legal frameworks to protect workers. According to the FNV, it is necessary to include threshold values in the law to prevent the body from overheating. This is already the case in Belgium, Greece, and Cyprus. Some CLAs already make good agreements, but threshold values provide much-needed clarity for everyone. ‘If employees are exposed to a risk, employers are obliged to avoid that risk, and if that is not possible, to limit it as much as possible by taking measures. In the case of the risks of heat and sun, this is hardly done, but sufficient shade or the right work clothing for a construction worker or farm labourer is just as necessary as good ventilation or a welding helmet,’ Jong says about this.
Read the full article on FNV and read our blog about working in the heat.