Extreme heat and workplace safety: Feneal Uil Salerno calls for an extension of the regional ordinance.

The persistent heatwave that hit Campania in the last few days of August has rekindled concerns about the safety of workers exposed to high temperatures. Patrizia Spinelli, General Secretary of FENEAL UIL Salerno and Coordinator of UIL Salerno, has made a direct appeal to the President of the Campania Region, Roberto Fico, to extend Ordinance No. 1 of June 17, 2026.

This measure prohibits work in the agricultural, construction, and related sectors during the hottest hours of the day—from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm—in cases where INAIL's Worklimate maps indicate a "HIGH" risk level for workers.

The ordinance, currently in effect from June 21st to August 31st, was created specifically to prevent the risks associated with high temperatures, humidity, and prolonged exposure to the sun, factors that can cause heat stress and heat stroke. However, its fixed expiration date of August 31st does not take into account actual weather conditions, which are showing a prolonged period of intense heat even beyond that date.

Spinelli emphasizes that health protection cannot automatically end at the end of August: "Safety must follow scientific data and actual weather conditions, not a calendar." This position highlights the need for flexibility and a system that dynamically adopts protective measures, activating them whenever heat risk reaches high levels, regardless of the time of year.

The issue is part of a broader context, where even the reopening of schools has been debated due to the high temperatures inside school buildings. Spinelli draws attention to outdoor working conditions, which are often more demanding than those in schools, highlighting the vulnerability of those working on construction sites and in the agricultural sectors.

Among the proposals put forward are more careful organization of work shifts, bringing forward or postponing more demanding activities, introducing adequate breaks, ensuring the availability of water and shaded areas, and the use of income support tools in cases where safety cannot be guaranteed. These measures, according to Spinelli, should not be seen as an obstacle to ongoing infrastructure construction projects, but as a priority investment in workers' health.

The request from FENEAL UIL Salerno is clear: extend the regional ordinance based on actual weather conditions, without a fixed deadline, to address a phenomenon—heat waves—that is destined to become increasingly frequent and intense. Only in this way will it be possible to ensure effective health protection in workplaces exposed to heat risks, without allowing production pressure to prevail over workers.