Workers denounce the danger they face when working in extreme temperatures.

As every summer, extreme temperatures coincide with the season of festivals and crowds, gatherings on terraces and pools, harvest season, and the time for tarring roads and "lifting" the city. This creates the perfect breeding ground for all those workers exposed to extreme heat, who are at risk of all kinds of accidents resulting from the harsh working conditions they face.

In the midst of a heat wave, all alarm bells are ringing about the limited and dysfunctional prevention mechanisms currently supporting our country's workforce. So much so that in recent weeks, adverse conditions have claimed the lives of several people who, unfortunately, were on duty.

The situation worsens when it comes to the backbone of employment, the self-employed , as there is no specific prevention protocol protecting them, and in the vast majority of cases, if not all, the interruption of work activity means loss of income, so simply 'staying cool' is not a solution. The president of the Union of Professionals and Self-Employed Workers (UPTA), Eduardo Abad, laments the dichotomy faced by millions of self-employed workers, "condemned to choose between their physical safety or financial ruin during the hottest seasons of the year."

More than 1.5 million self-employed workers carry out their work in environments directly exposed to high temperatures, without resources, protective mechanisms, or specific regulations to protect them. In other words, two out of three self-employed workers work outdoors or in poorly acclimatized environments, exposing themselves to extreme heat without protection and with the resulting health and safety risks. Thus, UPTA denounces a reality that, it says, has gone unresolved for years.

Adding to the vulnerabilities outlined above is the fact that many of them work alone, without preventive resources and without the investment capacity required for structural improvements to their workplaces to ensure proper climate control.

Therefore, UPTA is demanding an "urgent and decisive" response from the government to reverse the situation of helplessness that the self-employed community faces every summer. "We can no longer postpone a solution; it is urgent to pass an Occupational Risk Prevention Law adapted to self-employment," Abad states.

Among the most affected sectors are those whose activities typically involve long hours in the sun, intense physical exertion, and continuous exposure to heat. These include areas associated with agriculture, construction, outdoor hospitality, merchandise delivery, event technical services, and businesses without air conditioning.

From cramps, exhaustion, and dehydration to heatstroke, worsening of chronic illnesses, and even heat exhaustion, with multi-organ problems that can be fatal. Between May 16 and July 13, 2025 , 76 red heat levels have been activated due to extreme heat .

Consequently, the Carlos III Health Institute's MoMo system has attributed a total of 1,180 deaths to heat waves during the period between both dates. This figure represents an increase of more than 1,300% compared to the same period in 2024, when 114 deaths were recorded. Furthermore, in the first week of July , heat-attributable deaths increased by 47% compared to the overall June figure, revealing an upward trend in health impacts. In fact, this first heat wave claimed the lives of five workers, highlighting the deadly potential of high temperatures.

Regarding the workforce, workplace accidents associated with high temperatures are a real threat . "A hundred people suffer sick leave every summer due to high temperatures," warns the Independent and Civil Servants' Trade Union (CSIF). According to data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy, in the last five years there have been 619 sick leaves due to extreme heat, with a total of nine fatalities (latest records from 2021).

After learning through the media of several worker deaths allegedly due to exposure to extreme temperatures during their workday, the Ombudsman initiated an ex officio action on July 14th requesting information from the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy on the inspections it conducts to prevent these deaths, as well as on how it addresses the prevention of these types of risks in the 2025 Summer Plan.

Thus, he recalled the legal obligation "to adopt appropriate measures to protect people who work outdoors from any risk related to adverse weather conditions, including extreme temperatures." This was in reference to Royal Decree 486/1997, of April 14, which establishes minimum health and safety conditions for workers.

According to Salvador Fernández , Payroll & Legal Director at PayFit Spain, companies that fail to comply with occupational health and safety regulations, including measures required during extreme heat events, can face penalties ranging from fines to, in extreme cases, criminal penalties. The severity of the penalties depends on each country's specific legislation and the severity of the non-compliance.

Fernández also clarifies that the definition of "extreme heat" depends on the area and circumstances, but the yardstick is usually established around the alerts issued by local meteorological services. Therefore, without a generalized concept or temperature threshold, determining the danger is difficult.

As for companies' obligations, these are clear. "They must ensure appropriate measures during episodes of extreme heat, such as providing adequate hydration , offering more frequent breaks, and, if possible, adjusting work schedules to avoid the hottest hours of the day."

Already in 2023, a series of amendments were introduced to the Occupational Risk Prevention Act , through Royal Decree Law 4/2023, which sought to include specific preventive measures to protect employees during episodes of high temperatures.