This weekend, Luxembourg could experience record high temperatures for the month of June, with Meteolux predicting highs of 36 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature on record is currently 35.4 degrees.
Due to climate change, heatwaves are becoming more frequent, and businesses have to prepare, including those in the construction industry. RTL visited Rumelange on Friday morning to investigate.
By 10am on Friday, the sun was already blazing down. The official health advice is to take things slow in extreme heat, but this is not so easy for construction workers, according to Paul Nathan, director of the Poeckes construction company.
Nathan explained that the company also had contractual obligations to construction firms, adding: "We always hope for a client to be understanding in these situations, as common sense is needed to find compromises."
Poeckes employs 220 members of staff, 30 of whom work on administrative duties, while 150 work directly at building sites and are therefore exposed to the heat all day. In order to reduce health risks, their working hours have been adapted according to the weather conditions.
Nathan said the industry had faced similar conditions in previous years and was increasingly treating them as a recurring challenge, adjusting working hours and staffing where possible. "We open individual building sites earlier and stop work earlier in order to avoid the hottest part of the day", he stressed.
Every building site has plenty of drinking water available, and workers are encouraged to take regular breaks in the shade.
Nathan acknowledged that work progresses more slowly in hot weather because safety must take priority, with staff encouraged to take breaks between tasks. "We try to respect this and meet the wellbeing needs of our workers", he said.
Despite the soaring temperatures there are no exceptions to the safety rules. Workers are not permitted to work without a shirt.
Nathan stressed that construction sites must continue to comply with legal safety requirements, including the use of personal protective equipment. "Long trousers, safety boots, and a helmet must be worn to protect the worker. We cannot make an exception", he added.
The teams at Poeckes start work at 6am during a heatwave and work for 8 hours, with a half-hour break. But organising this is no simple task, as each municipality has its own rules on working hours, according to Nathan.
Nathan said differing rules across Luxembourg's 100 municipalities meant each case had to be assessed individually. "It would be easier for us as a company if there were a single set of municipal regulations to follow, but that is a political matter", he noted.
This time, however, the long weekend is working in the construction companies' favour. Many sites will remain quiet for several days, as companies close on Monday to bridge the gap between the weekend and the public holiday. To compensate for the additional day off, employees worked last Saturday.
