This summer’s heat persists, and if current predictions are correct, it’s going to stay this way until the end of next month. Finding ways to keep cool remains the priority for both humans and animal kind, while there is a blessing of a kind for those who can’t.
This past Saturday, 23 July, was “Major Heat” (大暑), according to the 24 solar terms, also known in Chinese as “Jieqi”.
刚刚过去的星期六，7月23日，是二十四节气的“大暑”，中文也称为“节气”。
Hence we should spare a thought at this time for the animals in Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo. Reporters for the Yangtze Evening News who popped in to see how they are faring found the Zoo’s number 1 new attraction to be a large pond.
所以此时我们应该为南京红山森林动物园的动物们想想。扬子晚报记者前来了解情况后发现，动物园的第一大新景点是一个大池塘。
There, tigers had taken to cooling off by going for a dip. They were then joined by monkeys and other animals, much to the delight of visitors.
在那里，老虎们开始通过泡澡来降温。然后猴子和其他动物也加入了他们的行列，这让游客们非常高兴。
In the giant pandas’ enclosure, zoo administrators have the air conditioning running non stop at 26 degrees Celsius, in order that China’s national treasure may continue to sleep away most of its existence. Other measures have also been taken to cool large animals, such as elephants to help them withstand the current high temperatures.
在大熊猫的圈舍里，动物园管理人员将空调不间断地保持在26摄氏度，以便中国国宝能够继续在睡眠中度过大部分时间。还采取了其他措施为大象等大型动物降温，帮助它们抵御当前的高温。
Back in the human world, the incidence of heat stroke continues to rise. Many cases have also occurred in working environments. As such, sufferers are entitled to a declare work-related injury and enjoy the appropriate insurance benefits.
回到人类世界，中暑的发病率持续上升。许多案例也发生在工作环境中。因此，受害人有权申报工伤并享受相应的保险待遇。
But few bother to do so, while there also remain other barriers for those wishing to make such a claim.
但很少有人愿意这样做，而且对于那些希望提出这种主张的人来说，还存在其他障碍。
As The Paper reported this morning, data released by Shaoxing City’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Zhejiang Province, in the past 2 years, only 11 people in Shaoxing applied for occupational disease diagnosis due to heatstroke. But in 2021 alone, the City reported 556 cases of heatstroke.
据澎湃新闻今天上午报道，浙江省绍兴市疾病预防控制中心公布的数据显示，近两年，绍兴仅有11人因中暑申请职业病诊断。但仅 2021 年，该市就报告了 556 起中暑病例。
Elsewhere, in the now-infamous Wuhan, a total of 572 cases of heat stroke were reported in 2019, but only one worker applied for occupational disease diagnosis.
在其他地方，在如今臭名昭著的武汉，2019年共报告了572例中暑病例，但只有一名工人申请了职业病诊断。
Part of the problem is that many are unaware of their rights in this regard. The other is the work they do or the kinds of contracts they do or do not sign.
部分问题在于许多人不知道自己在这方面的权利。另一个是他们所做的工作或他们签署或不签署的合同类型。
Zhang Zhiyou is a lawyer with Beijing DeHeng Law Firm. “To diagnose occupational diseases, we must first confirm labour relations, which is difficult for many construction workers, as well as new forms of employment, such as couriers and takeout workers”, Zhang analysed.
张志友，北京德恒律师事务所律师。 “诊断职业病，首先要确认劳动关系，这对很多建筑工人来说是比较困难的，还有新的就业形式，比如快递员、外卖员。”张分析道。
Take the recent case of a construction worker who fell ill due to heat stroke on his way home from work. Taken to hospital, he died in the early morning of the next day. Lacking a labour contract, it could not be identified as a work-related injury. The family reached a private settlement with the man’s employer.
以最近发生的一例建筑工人在下班回家的路上因中暑而生病为例。送往医院后，于次日凌晨死亡。没有劳动合同，不能认定为工伤。这家人与该男子的雇主达成了私下和解。
Finally, the case of an electrician who suffered heatstroke during work on a signal tower in Wuxi of our very own Jiangsu Province in the past few days. For reasons unclear, the man became trapped inside the tower some 40 metres in the air, while the temperature soared to 40 degrees.
最后是这几天江苏省无锡市的一名电工在信号塔工作中中暑的案例。由于不明原因，该男子被困在距塔约40米高空的塔内，温度飙升至40度。
Happily, local firefighters were soon on the scene, this time using their ladders for a purpose other than that for which they were originally intended. The worker was rescued safely and handed over to medical staff for treatment.
令人高兴的是，当地消防员很快就赶到了现场，这次他们使用梯子的目的与最初的目的不同。该工人已被安全救出，并移交给医护人员救治。
