A survey conducted by the French trade union CGT among 11,315 employees reveals serious shortcomings in the protection of personnel during heat waves. Only 41 percent of respondents indicated they felt protected by their employer during periods of extreme heat.
The online questionnaire, which ran from 4 July to 31 August, yielded striking figures. According to the CGT, 84 percent of participants reported significant fatigue during heat waves. Additionally, 85.6 percent experienced the heat as burdensome to unbearable, and 67 percent had difficulty concentrating.
Particularly concerning is that 80.3 percent indicated they were expected to ‘simply carry on working’ during extreme heat, while 79 percent had to reduce their work pace in practice. Two-thirds of employees worked in a space without air conditioning, and only 37 percent had access to cold water in the workplace.
The preventive measures that were taken were limited. Four in ten respondents said that no work organisation measures had been taken at all, and 20.4 percent received no protective measures whatsoever. Some employees even brought their own fans to the office.
The risks were perceived as real by employees: 46 percent considered an accident possible, and 10 percent actually witnessed an incident. Approximately half of the respondents believed that the work pace should have been slowed down, while 36.6 percent felt that work should have been stopped entirely.
The survey, in which primarily public sector employees participated (55 percent), underscores the urgency of better regulation according to the CGT. The trade union advocates for concrete temperature thresholds, climate leave comparable to the existing inclement weather leave in construction, and stricter sanctions for employers who neglect prevention.
For HSE professionals, these findings emphasize the importance of proactive heat plans, including concrete measures such as adjustment of working hours, provision of cold water, climate control and clear procedures for stopping work at extreme temperatures.
Source: Grandes chaleurs : 4 salariés sur 10 estiment avoir été protégés par leur employeur selon l’enquête de la CGT, 2026-09-04T14:58:48.000Z, https://actuel-hse.fr/content/grandes-chaleurs-une-minorite-de-salaries-estiment-avoir-ete-protege-par-leur-employeur-1
Additional source: CGT, Canicule : les résultats de l’enquête CGT, https://www.cgt.fr/actualites/france/sante-et-securite-au-travail/canicule-les-resultats-de-lenquete-cgt
Correction (26 September 2026): an earlier version stated that 96 percent reported more fatigue than normal, that 40 percent had headaches and that 41 percent had their working hours adjusted. According to the CGT, 84 percent reported significant fatigue; no figure for headaches or adjusted working hours is given, and four in ten respondents said that no work organisation measures had been taken.
