42% increase in heat-related deaths at work in the EU since 2000, trade union says

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42% increase in heat-related deaths at work in the EU since 2000, trade union says  The European Trade Union Confederation is calling for common rules to protect workers' health during heatwaves.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/07/04/42-increase-in-heat-related-deaths-at-work-in-the-eu-since-2000-trade-union-says  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00The European Trade Union Confederation sound the alarm after the heatwave sweeping across

00:09Europe claimed its first victims in the workplace. Spain and France have both reported a heatwave

00:16related death. Similar tragedies had occurred in previous summers in both countries, as well

00:21as in Italy and Greece. According to figures from the International Labour Organization,

00:27the EU has seen a 42% increase in heat-related deaths in the workplace since the turn of the

00:33century. The Confederation pointed out that when temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius,

00:39the risk of workplace accidents increases by 5 to 7 percent. And past 38 degrees, the risk

00:46is 10 to 15 percent higher.

00:48E noi diciamo anche che le valutazioni del rischio devono essere fatte tenendo conto non solo

00:54della temperatura, ma anche di altre condizioni che incidono l'umidità, appunto la quantità

01:00d'ombra disponibile, la ventilazione, l'esposizione alla luce solare. Poi pensiamo che ci debba

01:07essere il diritto alle visite mediche, ai controlli periodici e infine un diritto banale, quello

01:17ad assentarsi al lavoro senza provvedimenti disciplinari, senza sanzioni, nei casi in cui

01:24il lavoratore percepisca che delle condizioni di calore estremo lo stanno mettendo in difficoltà.

01:32Trade unions are now calling for European measures to protect workers. They are asking for maximum

01:37working temperatures to be set accordingly for different sectors. Some member states have

01:42already set thresholds, but unions argue that these are not enough.

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