With these extreme temperatures that settle down, it is difficult not to think of people who work in full sun, such as workers on construction sites. In Geneva, an application protects workers by adapting break hours for example.
“We take 15 -minute breaks every hour, we have cool water”: on this Geneva site each has their method to fight against the overwhelming sun.
“Here, it’s good,” said another worker, sheltered by a tree.
The advice of an app
Since last year, construction companies can also use the application MeteoAtWorklaunched by the canton. Strongly recommended, it allows you to take the right measures to protect the health of employees and in high heat.
This tool makes it possible to visualize the levels of thermal stress, and then advises the measures to be taken.
Yoann Collomb, project manager at Scrasa, gives an example. By indicating two activities for the day, “manual excavation armor” and “external arrangements”, MeteoatWork advises to start work earlier during the day. Indeed, this Monday from 1 p.m. Monday, “we went to class three heat waves,” said the engineer.
Five levels are provided, calculated taking into account the intensity of the work or the holding of the workers. Additional breaks can be established, but in the event of extreme risk, the site must be stopped.
Unia watch the grain
In summer, unions regularly tours on construction sites to hammer good practices.
“Unfortunately, among the companies, there were very few who have played the game,” regrets José Sebastiao, an answer building sector at Unia. “The vast majority of workers have not received the link and has not installed the application,” he said.
This tool, imagined at the end of the scorching summer 2023, is however the fruit of a working group bringing together employers, unions and the joint inspection of companies. It is also intended for other professions working outside, such as gardeners and movers.
Meteoatwork has been updated in June 2025. New professional sectors and new activities will be added to the already existing list, we finally learn on the site of the site Canton of Geneva.
TV subject: Guillaume Martinez
Adaptation web: Doreen Enssle
