SUN BLOCK

BCCI: Heatwave ‘could prompt firms to adjust work schedules’

By Emmanuel Joseph

In the face of Met Office warnings on the severity of extreme heat that is expected for another month and its potential mental health implications, president of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) James Clarke has indicated that tailored solutions to protect the well-being of staff in individual firms are on the horizon.

“There are numerous things that can be done,” Clarke told Barbados TODAY in an interview. It all depends on what each business will have to look at what is possible for them.

“If people work inside in air conditioning, then that’s not much of an issue once the equipment is in good condition. But people working outside… in an unshaded area, I suspect that, based on the type of work it is, modifications may well have to be developed for the time of the worker… hydration, salts, and various things like that. But it basically has to be done on a case-by-case basis, company by company, rather than one specific overarching guideline,” the BCCI head contended.

“In other countries when you get this bad heat, people go to work early in the morning, and they work until lunchtime or a little afterwards… ease off in the afternoon, and then pick up at 5 o’clock. But that’s a different culture, a different way of doing things.”

The Barbados Meteorological Service says the island’s “heat season” will persist until November. Last week, UWI health researchers warned of a link between the heatwave and mental illness that could lead to suicide.

The BCCI president also said that the Ministry of Health had shared some guidelines on working in the heat, which each company would apply according to its situation.

Referring to the 34.2 degrees Celsius experienced on Saturday that shattered an 18-year temperature record, private sector leader expressed concern that Barbadians may not be taking the climate crisis seriously enough.

He is particularly worried that modern-day buildings are not being built to beat the heat.

“I think it is something going forward that our building industry will have to look at very seriously, and, in fact, I will probably raise that with our construction committee,” Clarke said.

“I think in terms of building going forward, we would have to look at what could be done to retrofit certain structures for anything built new, and have some kind of permission for insulation to try to keep the heat out as much as possible.”

Clarke said that with no respite from the heat in sight, Barbadians will now have to adapt in order to lessen the impact as much as practicable.

The government’s sugar farm company, the Barbados Agricultural Management Company (BAMC) is adding more breaks for its field workers who already benefit from established standards for beating the heat.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Orlando Atherley said on Monday that the workers have access to drinking water and shaded facilities.

“We tend to start a little earlier so that workers can get out of the sun a little faster. We have what you call task-work. There is one task, the task is completed… these are standard operating procedures,” Atherley told Barbados TODAY.

He said the employees are also provided with cups for drinking water and shaded facilities during lunchtime.

“We have increased the number of breaks,” Clarke announced, a measure, he points out, is the most recent addition.

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb