Severe weather fluctuations such as heat and cold waves have resulted in large numbers of patients with heat- and cold-related illnesses and a sharp increase in worker deaths.
The current Act obligates business operators to take safety and health measures according to working environments to prevent health disorders among workers, but it does not prescribe anticipatory measures for heat and cold waves, etc.
Accordingly, the Amendment requires business owners to take the safety and health measures necessary under such weather circumstances as heat and cold waves, promotes active prevention of industrial accidents by authorizing workers to suspend operations in cases where an industrial accident is likely to occur, and prescribes that in such cases, safety and health measures to be taken by a contractee shall apply even to workers employed by the contractors (Article 23, paragraph 1; Article 26, paragraph 2; Article 29, paragraph 3).

Require business owners to take necessary measures to prevent health disorders arising from long periods of work performed under such weather circumstances as heat and cold waves (Article 23, paragraph 1, subparagraph 4)

Require contractees to take measures to prevent industrial accidents when any employee of a contractor performs work in a location at risk of a heat or cold wave (Article 29, paragraph 3)