The National Institute for Social Security (INPS), with the message 20 July 2023, n. 2729, summarises the indications for the cases of suspension or reduction of the working activity consequent to the high temperatures and the recourse to the treatment of wage integration with the causal "weather events" when temperatures are above 35 ºC.
It should be remembered that even temperatures below 35 ºC can lead to the acceptance of the request for access to ordinary treatment, if the assessment also takes into account the "perceived" temperature, which is higher than the actual one.
In fact, even temperatures below 35 degrees can be suitable to qualify for the salary integration treatment, if the related activities are carried out in places that cannot be protected from the sun or if they involve the use of materials or in the presence of processes that do not withstand the strong heat. The evaluation, therefore, must not only refer to temperature but also to the type of activity carried out and the conditions in which the workers are operating.
The message also recalls that the salary integration treatment is recognisable in all cases where the employer, on the advice of the company’s safety officer, order the suspension/reduction of activities in so far as there are risks or hazards to the safety and health of workers, provided that the reasons for such suspension/reduction are not attributable to the same employer or to the workers.