According to Santé Publique France, during the summer of 2022, 6 French people died in their workplace due to excessively high temperatures. And with climate change (which leads to an increase in heat waves), these tragedies are unfortunately likely to repeat themselves: thus, in the United States, a postman recently died, a victim of the heat…
Eugene Gates was 66 years old and (for 36 years) he was a mailman in Dallas, Texas. On June 20, 2023, the sexagenarian had started his daily tour around 9 a.m., under an outside temperature of 34°C. When the man collapsed, in the garden of a house, the weather forecast indicated 46°C, the hottest temperature recorded in Dallas since 1980…
Despite immediate cardiac massage and a quick transfer to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Eugene Gates died. According to health authorities, he died of heat exhaustion syndrome or heat stroke.
In France, employers must protect their employees against the heat
As a reminder, in France and according to the Ministry of Economy“the employer is required to set up an organization and means adapted to episodes of high heat“: ventilation, free and unlimited fresh water, flexible working hours, telecommuting if possible… For employees who work outside (construction workers, for example), there are specific obligations: an air-conditioned room or cool shelters, at least 3 liters of water per day and per person, special protection against heat…
In addition, the Health Insurance recommends that employees leave the premises if the indoor temperature exceeds 34°C and the air conditioning does not work.
In Dallas, the Postal Service announced that starting June 26, 2023, letter carriers would start their rounds at 7:30 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. On average, American letter carriers work 8 hours a day outdoors.
Source : fox4
