Accident warning for outdoor workers in summer heat

Construction sites and other physically demanding outdoor work are vulnerable to the heat. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Swiss health insurance company Suva predicts an increase in work-related accidents as temperatures build during the summer months.

Suva said on Monday that 7% more work accidents occur when temperatures rise above 30°C. This is particularly relevant for outdoor jobs such as construction sites and gardening.

The warning follows research that blamed global warming for 60% of heat-related deaths in Switzerland last summer. A University of Bern-led study said there were three times more climate change-related deaths in 2022 than the average of 2009 to 2017.

The Unia trade union has called on rules that make employers responsible for the health of workers during extreme heatwaves.

Unia wants mandatory ten-minute breaks every two hours when temperatures push past 30°C.

Construction sites that fail to take precautions for their workers should be shut down, the union added.