Canceling work due to high heat is “exceedingly rare” internationally, but the idea would continue to be studied, the Ministry of Labor said on Friday in response to a survey finding that more than 90 percent of workers support the instatement of “heat days.”
There is already a clear set of guidelines in place for working outside in high temperatures, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Director-General Tzou Tzu-lien (鄒子廉) told a hearing at the legislature.
Employers are required to provide shade, water and procedures for assessing heat risk, he said.
Photo: CNA
Those who do not improve measures as ordered may be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, Tzou said, adding that the fine may be imposed immediately if a worker suffers a heat injury.
As for calling “heat days,” Tzou said that very few countries have such a measure.
The current strategy is to avoid work during the hottest parts of the day, for example shifting the lunch break forward a half hour to 11:30am, he added.
The study by online job bank yes123 found that 93.2 percent of respondents supported federally mandated “heat days,” although more than half said it should be limited to certain professions.
Of those who must work outside in the summer, 53.3 percent said their employers do not have protective heat measures.
The average salary respondents said they would be willing to accept for working outside for a full day in the heat is NT$2,890 or NT$361 an hour, just more than double the basic hourly wage.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS