Fernando Simón warns of new labor risks derived from climate change

He believes that the mask obligation will be lifted soon if the culture of protection is maintained

SANTANDER, 24 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The director of the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Center of the Ministry, Fernando Simón, has warned of the existence of new occupational risks derived from climate change, which must be incorporated into the work culture because "it is not only a matter of taking measures but to incorporate them into our way of thinking and acting".

Simón explained that exposures to risks are currently being generated in many professions that were not available before, for example, with the spread of bird flu in Europe, to which farm workers are exposed; or those who work outdoors and suffer the risk of heat.

"We are going to have to modify work habits because the heat at noon is going to cause deaths, it is already doing so. There are few, there are mechanisms to control it, but we must guarantee that the measures are complied with," Simón warned questions from the press before participating in Santander in a tribute day organized by the UGT to the prevention delegates.

To these are also added the risks derived from the exchange of people and goods, which may affect the workers of the mobility centers in the first place, and that must be "incorporated into the work culture", he pointed out.

In this sense, he has specified that, in many cases, the first entry of these risks are workers, especially those of "high standing, those who are constantly traveling, those who have meetings in a week in three parts of the world" .

Faced with these problems and those derived from global change, Simón has defended the importance of the culture of protecting others, a lesson learned from the Covid pandemic.

"The world is changing a lot" and, as a consequence, the risks to which many professionals are exposed are also changing. For this reason, Simón believes that the workplace will have to adapt many of its ways of acting and working to this new situation and climate change, which will modify labor relations with the environment. And to this are added "inherited" problems, such as the asbestos removal process, which will generate some "important risks", he warned.

Thus, he stated that "we have a period with many possibilities to control the risks, but we also have a period in which those risks are increasing" and "therefore, we have to take things seriously".

For Simón, occupational health delegates are "fundamental" to guarantee that professionals are not exposed to unnecessary risks, and also the lessons learned from the pandemic. "We have to understand that although a cold or flu does not have to prevent you from working, it does create risks for your co-workers."

"Workers and employers have to understand that a sick person is a potential risk and therefore they must be prevented from going to work, using teleworking or at least using protection measures such as masks. We do not have to lose that type of culture that we have acquired during the pandemic," he claimed.

And he has defended that, while in some cases "it looks bad" at those who wear a mask when they have a cough, "it is appreciated because the risk is avoided."

Regarding the consequences of technology, he has stated that it has prevented many labor problems but has generated new ones that are beginning to be seen, such as bad posture, a sedentary lifestyle or those derived from exposure to screens. "You have to learn to adapt and work: what you should not do is deny them."

On the other hand, regarding the mandatory use of masks in pharmacies, Simón has specified that it is a protection "not against the coronavirus but to protect the population from respiratory diseases."

"Using a mask when you have a respiratory infection is a mechanism to show that you care about the people around you and I think we should incorporate it into our culture, other countries have done it," he defended.

Thus, he has indicated that the use of masks when a person is healthy in other environments "will end very quickly", as it was eliminated in transport, and "soon" it could be done in pharmacies, although sick people access them, "but I don't think it's a major problem."

As for health centers, where the mask is mandatory for workers and visitors in common spaces, in his opinion "it would not hurt to keep it for a while" although he does not believe that "it will last too long" as long as they understand that "they have They have to guarantee that they will not infect others and that is achieved with the mask".

"If we manage to maintain that culture of protecting others, the mandatory nature of the mask will be eliminated soon," he assured.