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Trade unions are pleading for a new law on maximum working temperatures across Europe after two workers collapsed and died from heat stroke in Spain last week.
- Trade unions want the European Commission to put a cap on working temperatures
- Several countries in the EU have set their own maximums, ranging from 18C to 36C
- Australia does not have a single "stop work" temperature
In the past weeks Europe has been experiencing record-breaking weather, with temperatures rising to over 40 degrees Celsius.
Among the workers who died in Spain was a 60-year-old Madrid street cleaner. His body temperature was 41.6C when he was discovered.
In 2020, 12 people died from heat-related work incidents in France.
Now the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) wants the European Commission to take action, saying more workers will die without legislation on safe working temperatures.
"Workers are on the frontline of the climate crisis every day and they need protections to match the ever-increasing danger from extreme temperatures," ETUC deputy general secretary Claes-Mikael Ståhl said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ideal working temperatures are between 16C and 24C.
Although there is no European-wide legislation on working temperatures, several countries have already implemented their own laws mandating maximum temperatures for different types of work.
In Belgium, which has a cool climate, the maximum temperature for "very heavy" physical work is 18C. In hotter Montenegro, the maximum for any outside work is 36C.
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In response to the death in Madrid, city authorities said street cleaners would be allowed to stop work when the temperature was over 39C, and that shifts would start later in the afternoon to avoid the hottest time of day.
"The weather doesn’t respect national borders, which is why we need Europe-wide legislation on maximum working temperatures," Mr Ståhl said.
ETUC did not give any suggestions on what that maximum working temperature should be.
In Australia there is no maximum temperature above which workers must stop work.
Safe Work Australia says a single '"stop work" rule cannot account for all the factors that make working in heat hazardous.
They include humidity, air flow, physical intensity, fitness and acclimatisation.
ETUC urges workers to pay attention to symptoms like dizziness, headaches and muscle cramps as they are early symptoms of heat stress. These can lead to vomiting, loss of consciousness and death unless action is undertaken.