Last Sunday, Germany experienced record heat.
According to records by the Meteorological Service (DWD) on Sunday afternoons, temperatures detected at several weather stations in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg reached temperatures above 38°C.
The Cottbus weather station measured a temperature of 39.2 °C. It was also the highest temperature measured by the station since it began systematic weather recording in 1888.
Due to several days of heat, forest fires broke out in many parts of Brandenburg, one in Treenbrietzen and the other two around Beelitz, a few kilometers away.
Although, since this week, temperatures will drop sharply again. However, due to climate change, more hot weather is expected this summer.
This begs the question: in such a hot summer, there is no air conditioning in German classrooms/offices, when the temperature is so high, can Hitzefrei (school suspension/shutdown)?
What is Hitzefrei?
When the weather gets super hot, schools and companies in Germany can announce hitzefrei, allowing students and employees to go home for a day or hours to escape the heat.
Doesn't that sound fantastical?
According to FAZ, the concept dates back to the Ministerial Decree issued by Prussia in 1892.
Despite this concept, Germany does not actually have a national Hitzefrei law. That is to say, it is not that if a certain temperature is reached, there will be a false release.
So, when will Hitzefrei be announced?
At school, it depends on the regional regulations of the federal state in which you are located; In a company, it's usually up to your boss to decide.
When can the company hitzefrei?
In principle, employers in Germany are free to decide when too hot can Hitzefrei. So as long as your company thinks the temperature of the day has reached an "unbearable" level, it can declare a shutdown.
However, in German civil law, there are some recommendations that companies need to comply with:
- In order to protect the health of employees, the room temperature in workshops, canteens and offices should not exceed 26 ° C. If it exceeds 26 ° C, the employer should take measures to adjust the temperature,
- When the temperature exceeds 30 ° C, the employer must take action and is obliged to take measures to protect the employee.
- If the temperature exceeds 35 ° C and all measures are not alleviated, the office is no longer suitable for work.
Note: These instructions do not apply if the operation requires special indoor conditions, such as in greenhouses or steel mills.
According to the recommendations of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), relevant measures include:
- Close windows for shade;
- Adjust working hours to cooler mornings and evenings, or flexible working;
- Provide cool drinks for employees;
- Relaxation of dress code (e.g. no tie for the time being);
- Use a table fan, floor fan or ceiling fan.
In addition, employees can also take self-cooling measures:
- Drink more water than usual;
- Avoid eating foods with heavy flavors;
- If possible, wear light and breathable clothing.
- Rinse the wrists and forearms with cold water, which can cool down in a short time;
- Minimize appliances in the workspace – they also dissipate heat.
If you can't stand the current indoor temperature, it doesn't mean you can go straight home and rest, but you should report the situation to your superiors, who decide whether to adjust the cooling measures or announce Hitzefrei.
However, according to the Regulations of the German Ministry of Labour, if the employer does not take appropriate protective measures, it may be fined up to 5,000 euros.
When can school Hitzefrei?
Since 1999, each federal state in Germany has been free to make its own school hitzefrei regulations.
In the following cantons, the final decision on whether classes can be suspended due to high temperatures rests with the principals of the individual schools: Bavaria, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Meyzen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lefa, Saxony, Schehogne and Thuringia.
Among them, the benchmark in The cantons of Bavour, Hamburg and Brandenburg is the outdoor temperature.
For example, in the cantons of Bavar and Brandenburg, hitzefrei is declared if the temperature reaches 25°C in shade, compared to 27°C in Hamburg.
In other states, it depends on the classroom temperature: in Bremen, if the indoor temperature exceeds 25°C, students can go home early from school; In Sah-an, children need to survive to 26°C, compared to 27°C in North Rhine-Westphalia. Other states have no restrictions.
But even then, you don't want to get a day off. Because many schools are now required by law to provide full-time care for students (if allowed to take all day off, it will affect the parents' work).
However, Hitzefrei is also only used in the middle and high school stages. However, in high school, the means of summer escape are more likely to change to a cooler classroom or arrange a trip.
In addition, at the request of most of the parents of the Saarland, the hitzefrei decree of the canton was repealed in 2006.