As much of Europe sweats it out in a heatwave that has seen record breaking temperatures, the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) says workers should be better protected by law against heat stress.
Across mainland Europe, office workers have been deciding whether to risk the commute to enjoy air conditioned offices or save the journey and work from hot homes.
But for many workers, from builders and rubbish collectors to farmers and postmen and women, they have no choice but to keep going through all weathers.
But in an era of extreme weather conditions as a result of climate change, is that fair or right?
The European Trade Union Institute says it is now time to put in place a new EU law, a Directive on Workplace Heat Stress.
Under their proposed law, busincesses would be obliged to mitigates the effects of extreme weather on their workers.
There would be legally binding obligations for employers to identify and mitigate extreme heat risks through technical solutions or logistical changes, such as adjusting schedules or providing better ventilated rest areas.
“As a new heatwave grips Brussels and large parts of the continent, climate change is increasingly becoming a workplace reality,” the ETUI says.
The report has been co-authored by Professor Andreas Flouris at the University of Thessaly in Greece. He is seen as one of Europe’s leading experts on occupational heat stress and workers’ health.
He warns that heat stress is much more than discomfort.
According to one estimate, 130 million workers are exposed to workplace heat stress in Europe resulting in some 277,000 injuries and 230 deaths every year.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work says that across the EU, one in five workers is exposed to extreme heat. But that rises to one in three for countries like Cyprus and Greece.
The ETUI says climate change is now a reality across Europe and all workers should be better protected with the same standards everywhere.
Under the ETUI proposals there would be:
- Mandatory Heat Risk Assessments: Employers would be obligated to carry out heat risk assessments including measuring the levels of heat stress exposed workers face. This assessment must be updated regularly and integrated into the general written safety and health risk assessments.
- Exposure Limit Values: The ETUI wants a legally binding exposure limit value set at a core body temperature of 38°C to protect workers’ health.
- Mandatory Work-Rest Cycles: The Directive would set legally mandated working times and breaks. Depending on heat exposure, these breaks could last between 15 minutes and up to 45 minutes per hour.
- Down Tools: Employers would be legally required to suspend work when measures are insufficient to ensure health and safety or when heat levels exceed the defined “high action levels” for a given work intensity.
- Health Surveillance: It would be a legal requirement for workers expected to be exposed to heat stress to receive appropriate health surveillance, including medical examinations at no cost to the employee.
Employers and industry would likely push back against some of these suggestions – particularly the idea that some workers would spend 75 percent of their time on breaks.
But the ideas are designed to start a debate about working conditions in an era where hot conditions – even in Ireland – is becoming more normal.