In the face of heatwaves, the painstaking work of labor inspectors

This Wednesday morning, the temperature is only 20 degrees Celsius and the sky is overcast above the construction site for the future Line 15 of the metro. A short respite for the public works employees before a possible new heatwave starting this weekend.

From the guard in his booth to the machine operator, and including the workers busy paving, Florence, a labor inspector who does not wish to give her last name, meticulously questions all the workers, whether they are employees of the company in charge of the construction of this station or of subcontractors:

• "Did everything go well during the heatwave?"
• "Is the cabin (of your vehicle) air-conditioned?"
• "Who brings the water that's in your fridge?"
• "Did your employer provide you with personal protective equipment, such as neck protectors (to protect the neck, editor's note)...?"

In this department in the Île-de-France region, the prefecture issued an order last week suspending outdoor construction sites between 13:00 PM and 22:00 PM and authorizing work to begin as early as 5:00 AM.

On the construction site, outdoor work began around 6:30 or 7:00 AM and stopped by late morning. "We were careful with the guys, obviously," assures a team leader in an orange vest and white helmet. "We avoided cutting (paving stones)," the most physically demanding tasks.

Although they didn't receive any special personal protective equipment, the workers say "it was okay," they were able to take breaks when needed. During the heatwave, "we feel more tired, the pace isn't the same, the boss knows that," one of them says.

While the inspector is satisfied with the guard's booth - often a blind spot in heat prevention - where air conditioning and a refrigerator are working, the tension rises a notch during her inspection of the living quarters: in the dining halls, the tap water is not potable and the air conditioning is not sufficient to cool the changing rooms and toilets.

A site manager explains that when the department was on orange alert, the air conditioning was out of order in one of the dining halls and the water bottles in the fountains were empty.

During periods of heatwave, the employer must provide "as much water as necessary" and "I think we are far from that," the inspector rebukes.

She highlights a strong link between status and working conditions: this site supervisor, on a permanent contract, can more easily assert his rights than a temporary worker or a subcontractor.

"We will resolve the water problems," assures the project manager, contritely.

"Inertia"

Since July 2025, inspectors can issue a formal notice to an employer if they have not taken the necessary protective measures against the heat.

However, "we do not have a tool to remove employees from a situation of serious and imminent danger," notes Florence, because the formal notice gives the employer at least eight days to react.

Last Thursday, in Mers-les-Bains (Somme), a Czech man in his sixties died at the Verescence glassworks site, where he was working on a roof "for a German company," according to the CGT union. The death is "likely linked to the heatwave, but this has not been definitively confirmed," according to the prefecture.

In the midst of the red alert, Florence observed that the prefectural order was being respected. However, she noted, in particular, that a crane operator was working in the afternoon – admittedly in an air-conditioned cabin – assisted by people on the ground.

"We are still at the stage of awareness," she believes, describing "a form of inertia," with measures applied "in a very disparate and random way."

Faced with heatwaves whose frequency and intensity are set to increase, the task of inspectors, who must also be vigilant regarding all other risks to workers, is immense. In 2024, the International Labour Organization indicated that Germany had 1,41 inspectors per 10.000 workers, compared to 0,8 in France.

A report presented in mid-June to the Ministry of Labour pointed to an 18% decrease in their workforce between 2017 and 2024.

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.