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Wear light colour clothes, avoid working outside between 12 pm & 3 pm: PMC advisory to workers to prevent heatstroke
The Pune civic body has also urged the labourers not to wear dark colour clothes and instead wear only white or light colour cotton clothes.
The PMC directive comes in the wake of standard operating procedure (SOP) for outdoor informal works released by the Maharashtra government amid rising heat risk across urban centres.
With day temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius, the Pune civic body has urged labourers working in various civic departments to avoid wearing dark clothes and working between 12 pm and 3 pm in the open to avoid heatstroke.
There are around 7,000 civic employees who work in the field and 5,000 labourers. They mainly work in the solid waste management department, drainage department, garden department, road department, water supply department, security department, health department, market maintenance department, traffic and transport department.
“This year the heat is very intense in the city, which is likely to have an adverse impact on the health of labourers and on-field staff of PMC or those working for PMC. Thus, it is necessary to take preventive measures to avoid any untoward incident,” said Nitin Kenjale, chief labour officer, PMC.
He said the civic departments have been instructed to provide safety materials and shades near the site of civic works in the open and drinking water supply for workers in the field.
The Pune civic body has also urged the labourers not to wear dark colour clothes and instead wear only white or light colour cotton clothes. “They should drink a lot of water and if needed lemon juice, coconut water or buttermilk. They should wear a cap or use a scarf to protect themselves from heat,” he said.
Kenjale said if the normal work in the field is between 12 noon and 3 pm then the timing of the work should be changed if possible. “A worker should seek medical assistance immediately if there are symptoms of heatstroke like dizziness, vomiting, intense sweating or increase in body temperature,” he said.
The PMC directive comes in the wake of standard operating procedure (SOP) for outdoor informal works released by the Maharashtra government amid rising heat risk across urban centres. Staggered work hours; mandatory rest breaks; water booths at work sites are part of the SOP.
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Released by disaster management minister Girish Mahajan, the advisory directs employers to reschedule outdoor work to cooler windows – 6 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm – and enforce mandatory rest breaks between 12 pm and 4 pm during orange and red heat alerts. The norms apply across construction, industrial and street vending sectors, with additional provisions to ensure women’s safety through adequate lighting, transport and protective facilities.
Maharashtra figures among India’s 10 most heat-vulnerable states and Union Territories. Fifteen districts — largely in Vidarbha, Marathwada and Khandesh — have been identified as highly vulnerable to extreme heat: Latur, Amravati, Yavatmal, Washim, Akola, Buldhana, Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gondia, Bhandara, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule and Nanded. The SOP will be operational across municipal corporations, councils and nagar panchayats in these high-risk urban areas.
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