La Isla Network will present on January 15 to the Economic, Social and Environmental Council of France (in French, le CESE) about environmental heat stress and its harm to worker health and productivity. The presentation is followed by a discussion between LIN and CESE about the harm that extreme heat poses to workers’ health.
The CESE is a constitutional consultative assembly of the government of France, advising the lawmaking bodies on questions of social and economic policies. The event highlights policymakers’ growing interest in learning about extreme heat and its effect on workers. The hottest years recorded have all occurred in this decade, and the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned of serious harm to worker health and economic harm to business.
CSDDD
Businesses play an essential role in building a sustainable economy and society. Progress in tackling adverse impacts on human rights and the environment remains too slow and uneven. In April 2024 the European Parliament approved the European Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD).
This Directive establishes the obligations of corporations with respect to adverse, actual and potential impacts that can affect human rights when conducting their operations or when their subsidiaries or their business partners conduct operations in the business chains It also establishes the obligations of corporations regarding the adoption of a transition plan to mitigate climate change.
Matthijs, Nieuwenhuis, Director of European Development at La Isla Network, said, “It is great to see that the French Council is paying attention to the terrible effects of heat on French workers.
“Temperatures in Europe are rising faster than anywhere else in the world. Urgent action is needed now. We hope this is a first step and that companies will start to protect their workers from the effects of climate change. Governments also have a responsibility to adapt laws and regulations.
“The good news is that we can protect workers and improve productivity. So it is a win-win situation.”
Council members will watch the documentary “Too Hot to Work,” directed by Mikaël Lefrançois for ARTE, followed by a presentation by La Isla Network CEO Jason Glaser.
Glaser said, “We are grateful for the opportunity to inform le CESE about what La Isla Network has learned about how to protect workers from heat stress. Our goal is to act on these findings, establishing Centers of Excellence in France and other European countries where workers are safe and healthy on the job.”
Le CESE released the following statement:
Climate change is already having serious repercussions on the safety and health of workers in all regions of the world.
Many of them, exposed to the risks linked to climate change, in particular “heat stress,” often have no choice but to continue working in conditions that can be dangerous for their safety and health.
The Labour and Employment Committee of CESE has been involved in examining this issue since 2022 and has prepared an opinion, “Work and health-environment: what challenges to meet in the face of climate change?,” adopted in April 2023. In July of the same year, a documentary entitled “Too Hot to Work” was broadcast on ARTE, the theme and content of which resonated with the work of le CESE, without any prior consultation.
As part of the programming of its activities, the Committee discussed the opportunity to formalise and develop this dialogue by organising an event on this theme, which continues to be a topical issue.
France Stratégie thus highlighted in an analysis note in June 2023 that “The effects of climate change are now visible and recognized, both on biodiversity and on human health. On the other hand, the impacts on workers remain little analyzed and little debated even though certain professions could find themselves on the front line.”
The ILO published a report in 2024 entitled “Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate.” According to this report, climate change is responsible for 22.85 million work accidents and 18,970 work-related deaths worldwide each year. The ILO indicates that global protections in terms of occupational safety and health have changed little to take into account the evolution of risks linked to climate change.
To discuss this, CESE has chosen to organize a two-part event during the plenary session of 15 January 2025, including the screening of the film “Too Hot to Work” and giving the floor to experts and practitioners on these issues.”
La Isla Network is an occupational health research and advisory nonprofit dedicated to ending heat-related illnesses among workers and their communities worldwide. We develop and implement data-driven worker protection and management assessment protocols to improve the resiliency of workforces and businesses to heat stress. Our work is backed by best-in-class researchers, industry leaders and government and multilateral institutions like the ILO. For more information please use our contact form.
