Inspectors find 179 heat protection deficiencies in Vorarlberg

Austria’s labour inspectorate found 179 deficiencies during 147 workplace inspections in Vorarlberg through the end of July, ORF reports. The findings indicate that companies still have room to improve their implementation of the heat protection rules introduced this year.

When temperatures reach more than 30 degrees Celsius, employers must take measures to protect workers from heat. The regulation includes providing drinking water, shade, adjusted working hours and protective clothing.

“There is still a lot of room for improvement,” said Ingo Waldhart of the Vorarlberg labour inspectorate.

Waldhart said some companies had not yet implemented protective measures to the desired extent and were particularly hesitant about technical solutions. In many cases, he said, shade could have been provided, including at road construction sites.

This year, inspectors focused mainly on informing and advising employers and workers. The regulation has been in force since the beginning of the year but does not yet appear to have reached all companies, ORF reported.

The inspectorate plans to carry out more heat protection checks next year and impose fines for violations. Companies can be fined up to 8,000 euros, or up to 16,000 euros for repeat offences.

Last year, the labour inspectorate conducted more than 2,800 inspections across the region. About 2,000 focused primarily on advising employers, while 56 cases resulted in reports for prosecution because workers had been put at risk.