Give them a break

The good news is that the enforcement of a midday break for construction workers seems to be having greater effect than in the past. Perhaps it is a reflection on the fact that employers now recognise the importance of a break during the hottest part of the day. For it allows rest and recuperation, enabling labourers to return to work refreshed and able to contribute more effectively to their job.

The concept of a midday break during the hottest months of the year is now firmly established, so initial protests of lost time in production can now be ignored for the law has been in force long enough now for companies to make any adjustments necessary to their schedules to take account of the break. The importance of the break is shown by the dramatic decrease in the number of heat stroke victims that had to be taken to hospital.