“Across the European Union, 23% of workers are exposed to high temperatures for at least a quarter” of their working time, rising to 36% in agriculture and industry and 38% in construction, according to with data from the research institute Eurofound.
In the heart of a summer in Europe already marked by two heatwaves, the European Trade Union Confederation is calling for a law to be adopted that would set a temperature limit for outdoor work in the Old Continent.
“Two workers died because of the heat in Spain last week. In France, a country where there is no temperature limit for work, 12 people died due to heat-related accidents in 2020,” the European Trade Union Confederation said in a statement.
The toll grew heavier on Thursday in Spain, as first aid services in the Madrid region announced the death of a worker who distributed leaflets to post office boxes due to heatstroke.
“Across the European Union, 23% of workers are exposed to high temperatures for at least a quarter” of their working time, rising to 36% in agriculture and industry and 38% in construction, according to with data from the research institute Eurofound.
However, “only a handful of countries in Europe have legislation designed to protect workers during heat waves” and there are “wide variations” from one state to another.
According to trade unions belonging to the European Trade Union Confederation, Belgian workers employed in physically demanding jobs should not work when the temperature exceeds 22°C. The limit is 5 degrees Celsius more for the same types of work in Hungary, while in Slovenia the limit is 28° Celsius in all workplaces.
According to the World Health Organization, the ideal temperature for work ranges from 16 to 24° Celsius.
“Employees are every day on the front line of the climate crisis, they need appropriate protection measures,” warns the deputy general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, Claes-Michael Stahl.
“Meteorological conditions do not respect national borders. That’s why we need European-wide legislation on maximum working temperatures,” he adds, according to the announcement.
Heatwaves that hit western Europe in mid-July killed more than 500 people in Spain, while breaking temperature records in France, the United Kingdom and Denmark.
The proliferation of heat waves is a direct consequence of the climate crisis, according to scientists, as greenhouse gas emissions increase their intensity, duration and frequency.
RES-EMP
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