On Friday 26 April, on the eve of International Workers’ Memorial Day, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) warned of studies revealing that the number of people dying at work due to extreme heat is rising faster in the European Union than in any other region of the world, according to a press release.
According to estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO), 80,800 people suffered heat-related injuries at work in 2020, and 67 of them died.
In the EU, the number of heat-related deaths at work has risen by 42% since 2000. The European Environment Agency has also already pointed out that heat waves in Europe have already “resulted in increased incidences of heat stroke and fatalities among outdoor workers, especially those in the agriculture, construction, street maintenance, and waste collection sectors”.
Only a few EU countries have a law on the subject: Belgium, Hungary, Spain, Latvia and Slovenia.
The ETUC is therefore calling on the Commission to introduce binding legislation to ensure that workers can stop work and take a break in extreme heat, have access to drinking water, a shaded area and protective clothing, and that heat-related risks are managed through collective bargaining. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)