New Delhi, 28 April (H.S.): In view of the intense summer heat and a spike in heatwave‑related risks, the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has issued a nationwide advisory urging all states and Union Territories to adopt immediate preventive and relief measures to safeguard workers and employees. The circular, addressed to chief secretaries and administrators, calls for a coordinated, multi‑pronged approach specifically for labour‑intensive and outdoor‑working environments.
The ministry has asked state governments to ensure that construction workers, brick‑kiln labourers, farm workers and others engaged in open‑air, high‑exposure jobs are protected through a mix of rescheduling, cooling and medical preparedness. States are directed to lay down clear guidelines for employers, contractors, factories, mines and construction firms, including:
Rescheduling working hours to cooler parts of the day,
Guaranteeing adequate supply of safe drinking water at worksites, and
Maintaining shaded, cool rest areas and properly ventilated workspaces.
The advisory stresses that, at construction sites and other labour‑intensive workplaces, emergency ice packs and heat‑illness‑prevention kits must be available on‑site. Machinery‑shed roofs, mines and indoor industrial units are also to be ventilated and cooled wherever feasible, with mandatory health checks for workers exposed to high ambient temperatures.
The ministry has emphasised particular attention to construction workers, brick‑kiln units, casual labourers and temporary workers, who often lack basic protective infrastructure. Governments are asked to launch awareness campaigns in labour markets and public places, using posters, banners and public‑address systems to communicate symptoms of heatstroke, prevention steps and the need for timely rehydration.
The National Labour Institute’s Directorate General of Training has been instructed to organise regular training modules on heat‑stress prevention, covering the causes and signs of sunstroke, safe work‑practice protocols, and basic first‑aid measures. These modules are to be integrated into existing workers’ and supervisors’ training programmes.
Under the guidelines, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the Directorate General of Labour Welfare are directed to set up dedicated help desks or helplines at their hospitals and dispensaries for heat‑related emergencies. States are asked to ensure sufficient stocks of ORS, salt‑sugar packets, cooling blankets and other essential medical supplies at such facilities.
The Chief Labour Commissioner, Directorate General of Mines Safety and other enforcement agencies have been told to monitor compliance during inspections and submit periodic reports on heat‑mitigation steps taken at worksites. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation and the National Career Service have also been asked to provide cool, shaded venues and adequate drinking water at their job‑seeker and worker‑orientation camps.
The ministry has asked all agencies and departments to file periodic reports on the ground‑level actions taken, number of workers covered and any heat‑related incidents recorded. This structured review mechanism is intended to tighten oversight and plug gaps in implementation.
The Labour Ministry has reiterated that timely intervention and strict supervision during the summer months are crucial to safeguarding workers’ lives, health and productivity, reducing preventable casualties and maintaining industrial output in a climate‑stressed environment.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
