As China enters its annual flood season, regions across the country are rolling out measures to protect workers from growing threats posed by extreme weather, including torrential rains, typhoons and scorching heat waves.

Under a regulation on meteorological disaster prevention in Guangdong province, when yellow, orange or red typhoon warnings, or red rainstorm warnings, are in effect, employers must arrange for employees to delay work, leave early or suspend operations, except for essential personnel required to remain on duty.

Zhejiang province has gone a step further.

Its regulations require employers to provide necessary shelter and safety measures for employees who remain on-site or become stranded because of extreme weather.

Shanghai's rules on responding to extreme weather explicitly state that workers who are unable to report to work because of red weather warnings cannot be penalized for lateness or absenteeism, have their wages or benefits docked, or be required to use statutory holidays or rest days as compensation.

To ensure compliance, Guangdong's flood control regulations stipulate that employers who fail to suspend work when required may face administrative penalties under public security laws. Ningbo, Zhejiang province, has also issued special labor protection rules for extreme weather, imposing fines of up to 20,000 yuan ($2,960) on violators.

Trade unions in multiple regions have issued labor law supervision reminders, urging employers to strengthen protections for workers during extreme heat and severe weather.

Special attention has been given to outdoor workers, who are among those most exposed to hazardous weather conditions. In Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, meteorological services have been integrated into an online platform that provides minute-by-minute weather alerts and personalized safety guidance to food delivery riders.

Tian Ye, head of the food delivery rider support team at major Chinese online platform Meituan, said the platform has issued severe weather alerts to all riders and activated emergency response plans.

Local managers adjust station operating hours and suspend order dispatches based on actual conditions to ensure riders are not required to work in hazardous environments, Tian said.

All Meituan stations serve as emergency shelters, offering water, phone charging and meals to outdoor workers in need, he said.

Meituan also uses technology to establish virtual perimeters around flooded or otherwise dangerous areas, providing real-time route guidance to help riders avoid hazards, Tian said. Delivery problems caused by extreme weather are exempt from penalties and do not affect riders' income or service ratings, while related losses are covered by the platform.

Despite these measures, experts say labor protections for extreme weather remain fragmented across the country.

Tang Daisheng, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Beijing Jiaotong University, said protections are scattered across local regulations, resulting in significant disparities among regions, while some localities have rules that are merely advisory and lack effective enforcement mechanisms.

"Workers of the same category, facing the same extreme weather in different cities, receive vastly different levels of protection — that is a fairness issue," Tang said.

Tang proposed adopting more scientific thresholds that take into account factors such as perceived temperatures, sudden downpours and typhoons, and making work suspensions mandatory once those thresholds are reached by removing discretionary language from regulations.

He also called for full wage payments during work stoppages and a fast-track channel for handling work-related injury claims.

At the national level, Tang proposed legislation linking red weather alerts to mandatory work suspensions for nonessential positions. He also called for online platforms to integrate weather-monitoring modules into their dispatch systems so they can automatically extend delivery times and waive penalties during severe weather.

In addition, he proposed extending work injury insurance coverage to accidents that occur during commutes and are caused by severe weather.