Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

JOBS

‘Hitzefrei’: When is it too hot to work in Austria?

Austria is experiencing a wave of high temperatures right now, which means workers in construction and other outdoor professions are feeling the heat. What does 'Hitzefrei' mean and what are worker’s rights?

Published: 25 June 2021 09:26 CEST
Updated: 26 June 2021 11:26 CEST
'Hitzefrei': When is it too hot to work in Austria?
When is it too hot to work in Austria? Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP

Austria is experiencing a wave of high temperatures at the moment, which means workers in construction and other outdoor professions are feeling the heat.

To counteract this, the “Hitzefrei”, or “heat-free” regulation, is an Austrian law that allows people working outdoors to down tools when the mercury hits 32.5 degrees.

However, the construction company, or the boss, has to activate the Hitzefrei regulation at a site, and workers have no legal right to it.

As Austria experiences a heatwave, here’s what you need to know about Hitzefrei.

READ MORE: How to find a job in Austria

What is the law?

Hitzefrei was introduced to protect the health and safety of workers during times of extreme heat, and in May 2019 the temperature deemed as too hot was reduced from 35 degrees to 32.5 degrees.

This means employers can allow their staff to stop working until the temperature drops to a safe level again. Sometimes this might just be during the hottest hours in the middle of the day or late afternoon.

Workers should also be provided with sun protection, including personal protective equipment and allowed to take plenty of water breaks.

Well above the maximum temperature for working in Austria. Photo: ALEXANDER KLEIN / AFP

If Hitzefrei is applied, workers receive 60 per cent of their pay, which is reimbursed by BUAK (the construction workers’ leave and severance pay fund).

Statistics from BUAK show that 39,122 construction workers from 5,245 companies were granted Hitzefrei in 2019.

READ MORE: Tell us about getting Austria’s Covid immunity card

Anything controversial?

In recent days, the Bau-Holz Union (construction wood union) has demanded legal entitlement to Hitzefrei for workers, claiming that many companies do not use the regulation and some staff are forced to continue working in the heat.

The Tyrolean branch of the union has been particularly vocal about the issue and called for the regulation to be enforced for thousands of construction workers on Tuesday (22 June 2021) when the temperature passed 32.5 degrees.

According to the Bau-Holz Union, working in construction in high temperatures is “very dangerous” and more accidents happen as the ability to concentrate decreases.

There is also a higher risk of UV exposure for workers, especially when working high up on scaffolding.

As the five hottest summers in recorded history have been experienced since 2000, unions are calling for more protection for workers as further heatwaves in the coming years are expected.

READ MORE: Will the EU force Austria to adopt a minimum wage?

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WEATHER

IN PICTURES: ‘Exceptional’ Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

An "exceptional" dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent's climate monitor said on Monday, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime.

Published: 8 April 2024 14:15 CEST
IN PICTURES: 'Exceptional' Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said the latest plume, the third of its kind in recent weeks, was bringing hazy conditions to southern Europe and would sweep northward as far as Scandinavia.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus, said the latest event was related to a weather pattern that has brought warmer weather to parts of Europe in recent days.

“While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns,” he said.

This latest episode has caused air quality to deteriorate in several countries, Copernicus said.

The European Union’s safe threshold for concentrations of PM10 — coarser particles like sand and dust that that can irritate the nose and throat — has already been exceeded in some locations.

A picture taken on April 8, 2024 shows a rapeseed field under thick sand dust blown in from the Sahara, giving the sky a yellowish appearance near Daillens, western Switzerland. – An “exceptional” dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent’s climate monitor said, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

The worst affected was the Iberian Peninsula in Spain but lesser air pollution spikes were also recorded in parts of Switzerland, France and Germany.

READ ALSO:

Local authorities in southeastern and southern France announced that the air pollution threshold was breached on Saturday.

They advised residents to avoid intense physical activity, particularly those with heart or respiratory problems.

The dust outbreak was expected to reach Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia before ending on Tuesday with a shift in weather patterns, Copernicus said.

The Sahara emits between 60 and 200 million tonnes of fine dust every year, which can travel thousands of kilometres (miles), carried by winds and certain meteorological conditions.

The Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa saw just 12 days within a 90-day period from December to February where skies were free of Saharan dust, the local weather agency Aemet had reported.

SHOW COMMENTS