Working during hot hours, each region has its own rules. And the measurement systems also change

Most regions in Italy are issuing binding measures against the disruptive heat that is preventing normal working activities. In particular, outdoor activities such as construction, agriculture, floriculture, quarries (and - in some cases - outdoor logistics), applicable only on 'high' risk days, detected through Worklimate or Inail system maps. In particular, for Latium, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Liguria, Apulia, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Veneto, Piedmont and Umbria, the stop times for sun exposure are from 12:30 to 16:00. Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy are the only two regions that have currently extended the ordinance until 15 September 2025, all the rest will end on 31 August 2025.

Sectors excluded from this ordinance are: urgent activities, public utility or civil protection interventions, essential public services, provided that security measures are put in place. While for regions such as Lazio, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Abruzzo the reference sectors are specified, which are: construction, agriculture, nursery, quarries, extended logistics, building sites and agriculture. The remaining regions refer only to 'sun exposed sectors'.

Many 'smart' regions such as Emilia-Romagna, Latium, Tuscany, Sicily, Liguria, Abruzzo, Umbria and Campania have decided to rely on Worklimate, a scientific platform developed by Inail and CNR, which is updated daily. It elaborates the risk of occupational heat stress with climatic and physiological models, using data such as: temperature, humidity, wind, sun exposure, physical workload, type of clothing. It illustrates a map of Italy with risk divided into 4 levels: green, yellow, orange, red. The accuracy of the platform would be very high, with a resolution of 2 km², with 'tailor-made' calculations for the working world. Puglia is currently the only region to adopt a hybrid system, combining the high precision of Worklimate with the capillarity and simplicity of public bulletins.

Piedmont extends the measures of the anti-hot weather ordinance regulating working conditions in situations of direct and prolonged exposure to the sun to riders, including workers in the quarrying and logistics sectors. 'A year ago we were the first region in Italy to adopt an ordinance to regulate activities in the event of exposure to the sun and high temperatures, and today we are the first to extend the scope to those who make deliveries in the city by bicycle or scooter,' explains Piedmont Region President Alberto Cirio.

In August 2024, an extraordinary campaign by the National Labour Inspectorate (INL) monitored some 736 companies active in the construction, agriculture, floriculture and road construction sectors. About 40 per cent had not implemented microclimate risk assessments or adequate prevention measures. Failure to assess the microclimate risk, the lack of suitability of the OSH with respect to the Psc, and the lack of protection against extreme weather conditions were among the most frequent infringements - with penalties ranging from € 1,423 to € 9,112 or, in the most serious cases, the blocking of activities by a judicial police order