Numerous Italian regions have implemented measures to safeguard the health of their workforce by prohibiting outdoor labor during the hottest hours of the day, as a result of the recent heatwave. This proposal has aroused debate about the working conditions of delivery drivers, who are often compelled to work in harsh, if not dangerous, weather conditions. Measures have been put in place that prohibit outdoor work between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m. This means that activity on roads, construction sites, nurseries, agriculture, and quarries has been halted. Regions that have adopted these measures include Lombardy, Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna, and Sardinia, with Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Liguria, Puglia, Sicily, and Tuscany having led the way. Affected businesses must implement organizational and technical safeguards to protect workers in high-risk groups, such as early morning start times and extended evening hours, employing workers indoors or in the shade, including through fixed or mobile shelters, rotating exposed workers and taking breaks in shaded areas, and using forklifts or air-conditioned cabs.
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