2024-11-01 15:30:00
Work on the tracks of a tram in Bordeaux, during a heat wave, July 29, 2024. PHILIPPE LOPEZ / AFP
For 48 fatal heat-related work accidents officially recorded by Public Health France since 2018, how many go under the radar? “The number of deaths is clearly underestimated, admits Guillaume Boulanger, head of the quality of living and working environments and population health unit within the agency. The cases identified are only the tip of the iceberg. »
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To establish this annual count, the agency is, in fact, entirely dependent on the figures transmitted by the general labor directorate of the Ministry of Labor, which itself relies on feedback from the medical labor inspection (IMT) . After each fatal accident, whatever the cause, a labor inspector is dispatched to the field for an investigation. This is when officers may note a connection to heat, based on their observations: high temperatures, medical symptoms in the victim, obvious safety lapses on the part of the employer (such as absence of water nearby), etc.
These readings are transmitted to the IMT, which analyzes and completes them to determine which accidents can be attributed to climatic conditions. The age of the victim, the nature of the tasks and their arduousness, the workplace, its level of sunlight and temperature, as well as the time of day and season are taken into account.
“Just a subjective feeling”
However, according to Guillaume Boulanger, labor inspectors do not always make the link between heat and deaths. In the report forms, that The World was able to obtain, several control agents admit their limitations: “Regarding the link with extreme heat, it remains unresolved but cannot be ruled out as it stands. writes one of them, concerned about the death of a cleaning lady, in August 2020. When I was able to enter the bungalow (…) the atmosphere inside was very confined, but that is just a subjective feeling. » The labor inspection also suffers from chronic understaffing, with a vacancy rate of 18% in the 2,048 sections of the territory, in 2022, according to the Court of Auditors.
Surprisingly, in 2021, when the summer was announced as the hottest ever recorded in Europe, no victims of fatal heat-related work accidents were identified, compared to eight to twelve per year in other years. Certain deaths are also the subject of debate within the work medical inspection, and it is not always easy to distinguish what leads to their inclusion or exclusion from the census. In June 2019, a 56-year-old trimmer died of illness in a steel foundry in Hauts-de-France. “Possibly linked to heat linked to the workplace, but probably not to outside heat”notes the inspector. The IMT decided to remove it from the count, considering that the heat of the victim’s working environment was not unusual, and noting that the department was not then subject to a heatwave alert.
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**Interview with Guillaume Boulanger on Heat-Related Worker Fatalities**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Boulanger. The recent report highlights that 4,200 workers globally lost their lives due to heatwaves in 2020. In France, there have been 48 officially recorded fatal heat-related work accidents since 2018. What are your thoughts on these numbers?
**Guillaume Boulanger:** Thank you for having me. It’s a pressing issue that we must address seriously. While 48 is the official number, we suspect that the real figure is much higher. Many heat-related deaths go unreported or are misclassified under other causes due to the difficulty in establishing a clear connection to heat stress at the time of the investigation.
**Interviewer:** That’s concerning. Can you explain how these fatal cases are analyzed and reported?
**Guillaume Boulanger:** Certainly. When a fatal accident occurs, a labor inspector is dispatched to investigate. They assess several factors—such as temperature, work tasks, and safety measures in place—only if they notice any signs of heat stress. However, it’s up to the inspector’s discretion to link the cause of death to environmental conditions like heat, which is where we see discrepancies in reporting.
**Interviewer:** So, what challenges do inspectors face in making this link?
**Guillaume Boulanger:** One of the primary challenges is the subjective nature of the evidence. Sometimes inspectors may view high temperatures as just a general condition rather than a direct cause of the fatality. It’s a complex situation because it requires a clear understanding that heat stress can critically impair a worker’s ability to perform their tasks safely.
**Interviewer:** Given these challenges, what measures do you recommend to improve the tracking and prevention of heat-related accidents in the workplace?
**Guillaume Boulanger:** We need stricter guidelines that compel employers to take heat stress seriously. This includes mandatory cooling breaks, access to water, and training workers about the symptoms of heat-related illnesses. Additionally, expanding our data collection methods beyond the current reliance on labor inspectors could provide a clearer picture of the risks involved.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for shedding light on this serious issue, Mr. Boulanger. It’s imperative for both workers and employers to understand these risks to ensure a safer work environment, especially during extreme heat conditions.
**Guillaume Boulanger:** Absolutely, and thank you for bringing attention to it. Awareness and preventative measures are crucial as we face increasing temperatures globally.
