The high temperature allowance is distributed unevenly. Have you got it？
Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei photo
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The hot and summer season is coming, and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions recently issued the Notice on Doing a Good Job in Heatstroke Prevention and Cooling for Employees in 2021. It is clear that trade unions at all levels should urge employers to "issue high-temperature allowances according to regulations". However, the reporter learned in the interview that the distribution of high-temperature allowance showed the phenomenon of "uneven heat and cold".
Harm of working at high temperature to workers
The hazards of high-temperature operation to workers mostly occur in open-air jobs such as construction workers, sanitation workers and line patrol workers, and high-temperature jobs such as ironmaking (steel) workers, boiler workers and kiln workers. The high temperature period in summer is also a period of high incidence of accidents for outdoor workers.
"Working at high temperature for a long time may endanger the life safety of employees." Xiao Hao, an attending physician in the emergency department of the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, said that due to the large amount of work, workers will suffer from heatstroke and dizziness. "Severe heatstroke will develop into heat stroke."
According to Xiao Hao, heatstroke includes threatened heatstroke, mild heatstroke and severe heatstroke. Threatened heatstroke refers to dizziness, headache, excessive sweating, thirst, general weakness, palpitation, inattention, uncoordinated movements, etc. after working in a high temperature environment, without fever or temperature below 38℃. Mild heatstroke refers to body temperature above 38℃, profuse sweating, cold skin on limbs, decreased blood pressure and rapid pulse. "For those with threatened heatstroke and mild heatstroke, at this time, the patient is transferred to a cool and ventilated place, and the symptoms can generally be alleviated, treated in time, and recovered." Xiao Hao said.
Severe heatstroke includes heat spasm, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. And heatstroke is the most critical. Medical treatment cases show that the mortality rate of heat stroke is as high as 20%~70%, and that of patients over 50 years old is as high as 80%.
Xiao Hao said that if outdoor workers have a history of exposure to high temperature, high humidity and high-intensity exercise, their clinical manifestations are central nervous system dysfunction (coma, convulsions, delirium and abnormal behavior); Core temperature > 40℃ (rectal temperature); Multiple organ dysfunction (liver, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, striated muscle); Severe coagulation dysfunction or DIC and other four phenomena, any one of the medical history and clinical manifestations, can be diagnosed as heatstroke.
It is not uncommon for severe heatstroke to endanger the lives of workers, but on-site treatment is always in a misunderstanding. Xiao Hao said that when severe heatstroke occurs, people often take the wrong method of "calling 120", which makes the treatment lose "golden half an hour" — — The core temperature was reduced to 39℃ in half an hour and to 38.5℃ in two hours.
Xiao Hao said that when severe heatstroke occurs, it is not necessary to "call 120", but to immediately "treat the patient on the spot" — — Soak in cold water to "race against time to cool down". Patients should be soaked in cold water at 2℃~20℃ to expose their heads to avoid suffocation. At the same time, air conditioners and fans should be used to maintain indoor low temperature, and cold towels or alcohol should be used to wipe the whole body, and ice cubes should be used to wrap towels to cool the head, armpits and groin. "If the patient’s body temperature drops below 39℃ within half an hour, the mortality rate will be greatly reduced. After being sent to the hospital after cooling, the mortality rate will be reduced to below 20%. " Xiao Hao said.
"We are ‘ Package work ’ Tell me where to find someone to ask for the money? "
High temperature subsidy is a special wage compensation for employees engaged in economic construction and enterprise production and operation activities under high temperature conditions. According to the reporter’s investigation, the distribution of high temperature allowance is "uneven hot and cold".
Since its establishment in 2011, Langfang Zhongjian Machinery Co., Ltd. has insisted on providing high-temperature subsidies to front-line employees and managers every year, with 650 yuan for front-line workers and 300 yuan for managers, totaling 2.225 million yuan over the years. In addition to granting high-temperature subsidies, the company’s trade unions regularly carry out "sending coolness" activities every summer, distributing heatstroke prevention and cooling products and condolences such as Huoxiang Zhengqi Liquid, essential balm, sour plum soup and watermelon, and adding high-power fans in the workshop to strengthen the popularization of heatstroke first aid knowledge.
Langfang Steel Structure Branch of Installation Engineering Co., Ltd. of China Construction Second Bureau, in order to better protect the physical and mental health of employees, each person is given a high-temperature subsidy of 800 yuan every year, which has accumulated more than 3.92 million yuan since the establishment of the factory. In addition, the company carries out the "Three Deliveries" condolence activities every year, and buys heatstroke prevention condolences such as tea, herbal tea, fruits and medicines to "help employees to be healthy and happy."
However, when investigating some enterprises with more outdoor work, the reporter got two types of answers: never sent, and distributed in kind.
A person in charge of a large private enterprise told the reporter that we have not issued a high-temperature allowance. When the high temperature comes, the enterprise will buy an average of more than 150 yuan of heatstroke prevention and cooling items for employees. "Send some practical items to employees, and our enterprise can be regarded as issuing a high-temperature allowance." The person in charge told reporters with some ridicule.
In a random interview at a construction site, the workers were puzzled by the word "high temperature allowance": there is still money. The person in charge of the construction site asked the reporter: "We are ‘ Package work ’ Tell me where we can find someone to ask for the money? "
Trade unions at the first and municipal level in Hebei once organized a joint law enforcement inspection of relevant departments on the issue of "high temperature allowance". The inspection results showed that the implementation of state-owned enterprises was better, followed by large private enterprises; The implementation of the construction industry is poor. Because of the temporary and seasonal employment problems, there is basically no "high temperature allowance option", and the way of "not working at high temperature, working at night" is adopted to avoid the payment of high temperature allowance; Heatstroke prevention measures are limited to tea and white sugar water.
It is not easy to get a "high temperature allowance"
Not long ago, Shijiazhuang network about food delivery industry held a second workers’ congress, which reviewed and approved the first round of collective wage contracts. In order to make the takeaway rider no longer "trapped in the system", the contract includes the reduction of the basic task list. It is worth noting that the collective contract has also added special clauses such as "send warm allowance for three months in winter and high temperature allowance for three months in summer". In this regard, the riders have said that they are "warm in their hearts."
The joint trade union of Shijiazhuang network about food delivery industry can be described as "practical". In the Notice on Doing a Good Job in Heatstroke Prevention and Cooling for Employees in 2021 issued by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions recently, it is also particularly clear that trade unions at all levels should negotiate with employers on an equal footing on behalf of workers on matters of labor protection in hot work and hot weather, and sign collective contracts or special collective contracts for labor protection in hot work and hot weather.
"But it is very difficult to promote the implementation of this work only by organizing a trade union." An industry insider told reporters.
Hot weather may not only damage the health of outdoor workers, but also easily lead to safety accidents. Some statistics show that the accidents in July, August and September account for more than 30% of the annual accidents.
"The lag of laws and regulations, inadequate publicity and inadequate supervision and inspection of law enforcement are the main reasons why this work is difficult to implement." In the interview, many people in the industry expressed this view to reporters.
In order to strengthen the propaganda of labor protection, trade unions in some cities in Hebei have made useful attempts. For example, in Tangshan, Hebei Province, starting from 2020, Tangshan City Federation of Trade Unions will designate May 25th of each year as "Trade Union Labor Protection Publicity Day" to carry out a series of publicity and education activities. By focusing on various activities on this day, we will emphasize the importance of labor protection, increase the propaganda of labor protection, attract the attention and participation of the public and society, and promote enterprises and employees to pay more attention to and do a good job in labor protection.
It is necessary to give care to the operators under high temperature. In July 2012, state administration of work safety, the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions issued the Notice on Printing and Distributing the Management Measures for Heatstroke Prevention and Cooling Measures. However, the promulgation of laws and regulations on high temperature in China is lagging behind. Only the Interim Measures for Heatstroke Prevention and Cooling Measures jointly promulgated by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions in 1960 is the widely used high-temperature labor protection regulation in China.
"From a medical point of view, we suggest that ‘ High-temperature operation should be known ’ As an essential job skill for employees, it is implemented as a mandatory requirement of enterprises. " Xiao Hao said.
Li Yulin