The government signed the decree that allows rural work to be suspended in the event of risky climatic circumstances.
The goal, it was stated, is that the rural worker is not exposed to risks of electrical storm, strong wind or flooding of water courses.
For it, The contracting company must generate a protocol with prevention measures, a communication system and emergency and contingency plans.indicated the General Inspector of Labor, Tomás Teijeiro, who recalled that Uruguay has a complete regulation in this regard.
The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, and the Minister of Labor, Pablo Mieres, signed the decree referring to security in rural areas in the event of adverse meteorological phenomena, considered to be atmospheric events capable of producing, directly or indirect, damage to persons or material.
“This legal text regulates that the company must have a health and safety protocol in the area, said Teijeiro.
He stressed that it is a fairly complete regulation regarding jobs and scenarios with risks and stressed that the obligation and responsibility of the employer is to provide safety and health in the work environment.
The hierarch explained that the adverse climatic phenomena referred to in this decree are those in which incidents were detected that must be foreseen.
“In general terms, there is security in the rural area. What there is often is ignorance or risky behavior of employers or workers that put life at stake”, he asserted.
Responsible: employer, manager or foreman
When there is rain, wind, electrical storm or others whose magnitude compromises the safety of rural workers, the employer will order the suspension of the tasks involved that entail riskswhile such conditions exist.
The employer may replace these tasks with others that do not involve risk.
The protocols will be adapted to the reality of each company and must contain, at a minimum, the measures to be adopted, the communication systems for emergencies, and the emergency and contingency plans.
The rule states that those responsible are the employer, manager or foremanwho must disseminate and enforce the instructions to the workers in their charge.
It also points out that in preventive measures the worker must have general knowledge of the state of the land where the activities will be carried out and that the use of personal protection elements that are adjusted to adverse weather conditions is mandatory.
What’s more, recommends, among other things, that a life jacket should be used in case of possible flooding of streams, rivers, ravines, canals or lagoons caused by intense rains and in the event that it is necessary to perform tasks on horseback that involve the crossing of riverbeds or the movement of cattle in flood zones.
in addition provides that rural workers must go out to carry out their tasks with their cell phonesso that they can communicate in any emergency.
