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A public health association has recommended that Germans adopt the southern European tradition of taking a nap amid sweltering temperatures that put people in the northern hemisphere at risk of heat-related illness or death, the ‘latest in a series of calls to adjust working hours to avoid the highest heat. time of day
A man with a sun hat over his face takes a nap in the shade in Germany in 2018. Photo by Sebastian … [+]
photo alliance via Getty Images
Key factors
The head of the association BVOeGD, whose name translates as the Federal Association of Doctors of the Public Health Service, said on Tuesday that working in the cooler hours of the morning and early evening makes sense to reduce the risk of workers and improve efficiency, the Associated Press. reported.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach was not against the idea, tweeting that naps in the summer months “certainly aren’t a bad suggestion” and make medical sense, but said the tight schedule should be left up to businesses.
The recommendation comes as several parts of the world prepare for record-breaking heat this week and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports last month was the hottest June on record.
The U.S. Postal Service extended the workday by an hour in Texas this summer after a postal worker collapsed and died in a customer’s yard; his wife has since then called by a more dramatic shift in hours to protect employees.
Postal carriers in West Palm Beach, Florida are asking for the same they change as they deliver mail in non-air-conditioned vehicles that can reach up to 140 degrees inside, local news station WPTV reported.
Ministry of Labor of India in April issued a warning to states to reschedule work hours and provide drinking water and ice packs to employees amid a heat wave that he saw temperatures reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) for seven days in a row.
A poll worker takes a nap at the Maricopa County Election and Tabulation Center on Nov. 8, 2022 at … [+]
Getty Images
Big Number
650 billion. This is how many annual hours of lost labor can be attributed to humid heat worldwide, according to a 2022 Institute of Physics to study, have increased by at least 9% in the last 40 years. Annual heat-related labor productivity losses are estimated to exceed $2 trillion.
key fund
The nap originated as riposo in Italy, when the Romans stopped to eat and rest in the middle of the day, usually between 1pm and 3pm, he explains. the bbc. The practice spread across Europe, but took hold especially in Spain, where a traditional workday has long been split into two parts: a productive morning interrupted by a two-hour lunch break before work later in the evening Rest allowed workers, especially in rural areas, to rest or travel from one job to another. Napping is still practiced by some Spaniards – around 40%, according to the BBC – but has faded as the culture of office work in big cities discourages napping. A push to “save the nap” has ignited in some areas, and in 2017 Hotels.com installed sleeping pods for naps at Madrid’s Atocha train station, with light blockers and memory foam mattresses. Spanish teacher Nuria Chinchilla he told The Guardian that Spaniards who still take a nap usually sleep for about 30 minutes, and the practice is more common in the southern region of Andalusia, where it is hotter.
A man takes a nap on a bench with his hat on his face during Wimbledon on July 15, 2023 in … [+]
Offside via Getty Images
Amazing fact
Spain at the beginning of the year said would ban working outdoors during periods of extreme heat after a street cleaner died of heat stroke in Madrid last summer. In the United States, only six states have protections for workers that include mandatory shade breaks, rest, and water at certain temperatures. There are currently no specific heat regulations required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, although President Joe Biden has ordered them written into law. There have been 436 work-related deaths in the United States caused by heat exposure since 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics he says.
Versus
Although the nap seems peaceful, the controversial practice has led to long and unsustainable working days for Spaniards, the BBC reported. Although the midday break has gone like the Dodo bird, the long hours have not, and it is not unusual for the working day to start at 9 or 10 am and stretch until 8 pm with a long lunch break that people don’t usually do anymore. nap The Spanish government has in the past proposed ending two-hour lunch breaks to shorten the working day to 6pm, but the last economic boost is to adopt a four-day work week.
To read more
Germans should emulate southern Europeans’ napping during heatwaves, public health group says (Associated Press)
It’s time to put the tired stereotype of the Spanish nap to bed (BBC)
Millions suffering in sweltering heat: Here’s where records could be broken this week (Forbes)
Water, rest and shade can keep workers alive in extreme heat, but only guaranteed in 6 states (Forbes)
Evan Dietz, 17, of Owatonna takes a nap on hay bales at the Minnesota State Cattle Barn … [+]
Star Tribune via Getty Images
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