Under Austrian labour law, employers (ER) are obliged to protect employees (EE) from excessive heat exposure.<\/p>\n
Pursuant to \u00a7 66 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz \u2013 ASchG), workplaces must be designed to avoid health-endangering or unreasonable burdens caused by climatic conditions, particularly heat. This provision applies to all workplaces, whether indoors or outdoors. However, detailed regulations currently exist only in the Workplace Ordinance (Arbeitsst\u00e4ttenverordnung \u2013 AStV), which applies exclusively to indoor workplaces. Outdoor workplaces (such as construction sites or agricultural settings) are therefore not yet covered.<\/p>\n
Protective Measures Indoors<\/strong><\/p>\n Section 28 AStV stipulates that in workplaces with low physical strain, the indoor temperature should, as far as possible, not exceed 25 \u00b0C. If this reference value is exceeded, appropriate measures must be taken to reduce heat exposure. In doing so, the so-called STOP principle<\/strong> must be observed: priority is given to technical measures, followed by organizational measures, and, where necessary, personal protective measures.<\/p>\n Employers must design workplaces and work processes to keep heat-related strain as low as possible. Technical measures<\/strong> include, inter alia, equipping windows and skylights with sun protection devices. For indoor workplaces, sufficient air circulation and, where feasible, structural measures to reduce heat must also be ensured. Additionally, organizational measures<\/strong> should be implemented, such as scheduling physically demanding work during cooler periods of the day.<\/p>\n If technical and organizational measures are insufficient to adequately protect employees, personal protective measures<\/strong> must be taken. These include providing sufficient drinking water (at least 200 ml every 20 minutes during strenuous activity), wearing suitable, breathable clothing and head coverings, as well as using sunscreen.<\/p>\n The Planned Heat Protection Regulation<\/strong><\/p>\n Outdoor workplaces<\/strong> have so far not been subject to specific regulation on heat protection, even though exposure to heat is often significantly higher outdoors than indoors. To address this regulatory gap, the Austrian government has announced the adoption of a Heat Protection Regulation (Hitzeschutzverordnung \u2013 Hitze-V<\/strong>). This will establish legally binding protection standards for employees working outdoors. The regulation is currently in consultation and is scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2026.<\/p>\n The planned Heat Protection Regulation requires employers to systematically identify and assess risks<\/strong> posed by heat and UV radiation in outdoor workplaces.<\/p>\n On the basis of this risk assessment, suitable protective measures<\/strong> must be determined and implemented whenever Geosphere Austria issues a heat warning of level 2 (caution, yellow) or higher. These include organizational measures, such as shifting working hours to cooler periods of the day or reducing physical workload, as well as technical measures, such as providing shade, installing water misting systems, or providing shower facilities.<\/p>\n Emergency measures<\/strong> must also be in place for incidents such as heat cramps, circulatory problems, or collapse.<\/p>\n In addition, personal protective measures<\/strong> must be implemented, such as wearing light clothing, headgear with neck and UV protection, sunglasses, and applying sunscreen; adequate fluid intake must also be ensured.<\/p>\n Employees must be involved<\/strong> in determining heat protection measures. These measures must be documented in writing or electronically<\/strong> and made accessible to all employees and to the Labor Inspectorate.<\/p>\n Even without a specific heat warning, employers are required \u201cto always provide drinking water<\/strong> or other suitable non-alcoholic beverages at outdoor workplaces during the warm season<\/em>.\u201d Adequate cooling<\/strong> must also be ensured in break rooms, containers, and vehicle cabins.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the Heat Protection Regulation specifies information and training duties<\/strong> already provided under general occupational health and safety law. These duties cover, inter alia, potential hazards from heat and UV radiation, recognition of heat-related health impairments, and access to current heat warnings and the UV index.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Under Austrian labour law, employers (ER) are obliged to protect employees (EE) from excessive heat exposure. Pursuant to \u00a7 66 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbeitnehmerInnenschutzgesetz \u2013 ASchG), workplaces must be designed to avoid health-endangering or unreasonable burdens caused by climatic conditions, particularly heat. This provision applies to all workplaces, whether indoors or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n