Health. In the face of heat-related risks, employers' obligations have been strengthened.

The rules are evolving. A decree aimed at strengthening employers' obligations regarding heat risk prevention for their employees was published on Sunday, June 1st in the Official Journal. When a risk of "harm to the health and safety of workers linked to exposure to episodes of intense heat" is identified, the employer will have to change work organization with measures aimed at "adapting schedules, suspending arduous tasks during the hottest hours, and better adjusting rest periods."

Workstations must be designed to mitigate the effects of solar radiation and heat buildup, using filtering or screening devices, ventilation, or misting. The amount of fresh drinking water made available to workers must be increased as necessary. Access to water must be guaranteed, with a minimum of three liters per day per person in the absence of running water. Employers must also "provide suitable equipment (breathable or cooling clothing, headgear, goggles, etc.) and pay particular attention to vulnerable workers, particularly pregnant women." These new provisions, introduced into the Labor Code, will come into effect on July ¹ .

48 deaths since 2018

Last summer, the labor inspectorate conducted approximately 1,500 inspections. In France, heat killed more than 3,700 people during the summer of 2024, according to data from Public Health France. People aged 75 and over accounted for three-quarters of deaths in the summer of 2024. According to the national public health agency, since 2018, 48 people have officially died in heat-related workplace accidents. This figure was largely underestimated, the public agency admitted in 2024.