A staggering 130 million workers across Europe are now routinely labouring in extreme heat, according to a stark new analysis that links rising temperatures to an annual toll of roughly 277,000 hospitalisations and 230 deaths. The research warns that the crisis, once viewed as a predominantly Mediterranean problem, is accelerating most rapidly in central and northern regions ill-prepared for the consequences of a warming planet.
The shifting epicentre of risk
The findings, published by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), the research arm of the European Trade Union Confederation, aim to spur legislative action to shield workers’ health from the escalating impacts of the climate crisis.
Professor Andreas Flouris of the University of Thessaly in Greece, a co-author of the report, stressed that the danger is migrating northwards. “Southern Europe has long been a hot-climate region and recorded the highest number of temperature-related workplace accidents,” he said. “However, current data shows the greatest increase in such accidents is now happening in central and northern Europe. While the south was already hot, these other regions are warming at a very rapid pace.”
The productivity penalty of a rising thermometer
Beyond immediate health risks, the report quantifies a direct hit to economic output. Citing scientific studies, Professor Flouris noted that the optimal temperature for physical work is around 16°C. For every 1°C rise above this threshold, average productivity drops by approximately 2%.
In a typical heatwave, the losses become dramatic. Speaking to Euronews, Flouris explained that labour productivity in Southern Europe can slump by 20–25%. In Central Europe, the decline ranges between 8% and 14%. Even in Scandinavia, a region famed for its cool climate, annual productivity losses of 3–6% are now being directly attributed to heat.
A call for mandatory heat-risk assessments
The report’s authors advocate for a dedicated EU directive on managing heat risks in the workplace, rooted in compulsory scientific evaluation.
“Our proposed solution is a mandatory heat-risk assessment, which would require employers to fully identify and evaluate the dangers of high temperatures on site,” said Marouane Laabbas-El-Guennouni, a researcher at the ETUI. “Only by clearly understanding the risks we face can we protect workers and prevent the associated consequences.”
Crucially, the report argues that air temperature alone is an insufficient gauge of danger. It calls for a more sophisticated thermal stress index that also factors in humidity, wind speed, and other environmental conditions to paint an accurate picture of the true heat load on a worker’s body.
A preventable disaster
The researchers underscore one critical point: unlike many natural disasters that strike without warning, extreme heatwaves are entirely predictable and measurable. With proper protective measures, they argue, the vast majority of these heat-related hospitalisations, deaths, and productivity losses are preventable tragedies.
