{"id":12709,"date":"2024-08-08T07:05:22","date_gmt":"2024-08-08T05:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bloglaboral.garrigues.com\/?p=12709"},"modified":"2024-08-05T11:13:51","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T09:13:51","slug":"summer-mix-2024-a-refresher-on-five-hits-of-employment-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bloglaboral.garrigues.com\/en\/summer-mix-2024-a-refresher-on-five-hits-of-employment-law","title":{"rendered":"Summer mix 2024: A refresher on five hits of employment law"},"content":{"rendered":"

Providing services in high temperatures, working remotely in the summer or during school summer vacation, appropriate clothing for working in summer or digital disconnection are some of the big issues that arise in companies at this time of year.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the hottest days of the year, on the eve of the central weeks of summer and the summer holiday period, we review five hot topics related to this time of year:<\/p>\n

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  1. High temperatures during the provision of services. <\/strong>Companies must take appropriate measures to protect employees from health risks arising from high temperatures (including skin rashes, cramps, syncope, dehydration, exhaustion and heat stroke or sunstroke).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    According to the sole additional provision of Royal Decree 486\/1997, of 14 April, establishing minimum health and safety provisions in the workplace, introduced by Royal Decree-Law 4\/2023, of 11 May, \u201cwhen work is carried out in the open air and in workplaces which, due to the activity carried out, cannot be closed, suitable measures must be taken to protect workers from any risk related to adverse meteorological phenomena, including extreme temperatures\u201d.<\/p>\n

    The specific measures to be taken by companies shall be determined by the occupational risk assessment, considering the work to be carried out and the personal characteristics or known biological state of the employee.<\/p>\n

    The adaptation of working conditions, including the reduction or modification of the hours of the scheduled working day, will be mandatory when the State Meteorological Agency or, where appropriate, the corresponding regional body, issues an orange or red alert and the pre-existing preventive measures do not guarantee the protection of employees. Orange and red alerts do not automatically imply the suspension of activities if there are sufficient and efficient preventive measures to prevent the assessed risks.<\/p>\n

    In relation to the above, on 17 July 2024, the National Institute for Safety and Health at Work launched the campaign \u201cWith the sun it is time for prevention<\/a>\u201d, an awareness-raising action aimed at preventing the damage associated with exposure to high temperatures and solar radiation in the workplace, including a decalogue of preventive measures to avoid the harmful effects of heat and solar radiation in outdoor work.<\/p>\n

    For more information on this subject, see this article<\/a> we published in our blog.<\/p>\n

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    1. Remote work in the summer<\/strong>. For companies with special summer remote work policies whereby employees are allowed to work remotely certain days during the summer from vacation locations, it is worth remembering that not everything is allowed when working remotely. We bring back this previous article<\/a> we published on this subject.<\/li>\n
    2. Working remotely during non-school periods<\/strong>. When school holidays come around, some people consider working from home to take care of their children. However, children\u2019s holidays do not automatically entitle the employee to work from home, and the circumstances and needs of the employee in question and the company should be analyzed, including, for example, these issues:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n