38°C Core Limit: Why Heat Is Killing Half a Million Workers Yearly and What Brussels Plans to Do
26.06.2026 - 05:24:06 | boerse-global.de
Doctors have drawn a stark physiological line: during an eight-hour shift, a worker’s core body temperature must stay below 38 degrees Celsius. Once workplace heat pushes past that threshold, the mortality risk climbs by up to 7 percent at 30 degrees and by a full 15 percent when the thermometer hits 38 degrees. The consequences are brutal — cardiovascular failure, respiratory disease, kidney damage and fertility disorders. Older employees, pregnant women and those with chronic pre-existing conditions are most vulnerable.
Those medical warnings come as the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) pushes the European Commission to write binding heat-protection rules into EU law. ETUC General Secretary Esther Lynch argues that workers in construction, agriculture, hospitality and bus driving need paid rest breaks on a regular schedule. “Professional footballers get three-minute drinking pauses,” she noted. “People doing heavy physical labour need longer recovery periods.” The union body calls the current patchwork of national regulations a “flea-market” that leaves millions exposed.
Global data from the World Health Organisation underscores the urgency: roughly 2.4 billion workers are regularly exposed to excessive heat, contributing to an estimated 22.85 million workplace injuries annually and about 500,000 heat-related deaths per year worldwide. Tom Deleu of the Building and Wood Workers’ International described extreme weather as “the new reality” that occupational safety systems must urgently adapt to.
As extreme heat becomes a growing workplace hazard, having a proper risk assessment in place is more important than ever. A free Risk Assessment Toolkit offers 41 ready-to-use templates, checklists, and training materials to help you identify and document all workplace risks, including those from heat exposure. Over 37,000 UK companies already use this toolkit to stay compliant and protect their workers. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit
In Germany, the lower house of parliament took up the issue on 25 June, debating motions from the Greens and the Left Party. Both will now be negotiated in committee. The Greens are calling for a five-billion-euro investment programme drawn from a special fund — roughly 60 euros per citizen. Deputy parliamentary group leader Julia Verlinden said the country is simply not prepared for the temperatures ahead. Proposals include expanded urban greening, green façades and roofs, soil unsealing and peatland restoration. The Left Party, meanwhile, wants a statutory “heat-free” rule for outdoor workers and better protective measures indoors.
The ETUC is asking for concrete caps on maximum workplace temperatures, unrestricted access to drinking water and shade, and flexible shift scheduling. The European Commission is currently examining how to embed specific heat-protection provisions into existing occupational safety directives. Union officials point to the spike in heat-related fatalities during the summer of 2025 as the reason for haste.
