Extreme temperatures in southern Europe have had an impact on workers’ health and led to industrial action in some Member States as early as 2015, Eurofound, the European agency for the improvement of working conditions, noted in a new publication on Monday 31 July, while July 2023 is considered to be the hottest month on record.
“Eurofound’s research shows that, as of 2015, 23% of workers in the EU were exposed to high temperatures for at least a quarter of their working time. Nationally, in 2015, workers in Romania (41%), Spain (36%) and Greece (34%) were the most affected”.
The prevalence of high temperatures was, and continues to be, higher among agricultural and construction workers: 51 and 45%, respectively, were exposed to high temperatures at least a quarter of the time.
Because of gender “segregation” in the labour market, “exposure to high temperatures is also a problem that affects men” [more than women], Eurofound points out.
Link to the study: https://aeur.eu/f/8af (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)