What does the new EU guidance say?
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), based in Bilbao, Spain, published two new documents on flood risks in the workplace on 3 November 2026. The practical guide Flood risks at work: practical guidance on preparedness for safe and resilient small businesses (24 pages) focuses specifically on small businesses and micro-enterprises. Alongside it, EU-OSHA released the discussion paper Flood risks at work and their implications for occupational safety and health (25 pages), which maps out the broader policy implications of flood risks for occupational safety and health (OSH). According to EU-OSHA, research among SMEs shows that these businesses need concrete support to build flood preparedness into their existing occupational safety and health management systems.
What risks and measures are recommended?
EU-OSHA states that climate change is intensifying extreme weather events such as flooding, creating new hazards and increasing existing risks for workers. According to the agency, the severe flooding in the Spanish region of Valencia in 2024 underlined the need for organisations to strengthen their preparedness. The new guidance therefore offers practical recommendations for risk assessment, emergency planning, protecting workers during a flood, and restoring business operations afterwards. Specifically, the guide includes checklists for the phases before, during and after a flood, covering both worker safety and business continuity and organisational resilience. EU-OSHA stresses: “Taking action to anticipate and manage these risks is essential for worker protection and business resilience.”
Why does this matter for HSE professionals worldwide?
Although the guidance targets EU member states, flood risk is not a regional issue. Extreme weather events affect workplaces on every continent, and in many countries employers are required to protect workers against foreseeable hazards, including those caused by weather extremes. For HSE professionals, especially at small and medium-sized organisations that often have less capacity to draw up crisis plans, the EU approach offers a recognisable template: risk assessment, emergency planning, protecting workers during a flood, and recovery afterwards, set out in checklists for each phase.
Context
That inadequate flood preparedness can lead to acute risks for workers became clear in late October 2024 in Valencia, Spain, where flooding killed more than 200 people. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) reported that the Spanish weather service AEMET had already issued a red warning early that day, after which work should have been suspended under Spanish law, but that workers at various companies were nonetheless kept on the job. According to ETUC, this left people trapped by the water, in cars or at their workplaces. The union confederation subsequently called, among other things, for a legal right for workers to stop work themselves in extreme weather.
Source: Managing flood risks: new EU guidance for occupational safety and health, 3 November 2026
Also researched: ETUC, Valencia floods show work must stop in extreme weather, ToVima, Massive floods in SE Spain leave at least 214 dead
