In the official Eurostat statistics on deaths, there are hardly any death certificates due to excessive heat, but a study published in the journal ‘Nature Medicine’, carried out by the Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona (ISGlobal) and by the French entity INSERM, has quantified the people who lost their lives in Europe due to heat waves last summer.
With the data on the increase in temperatures, crossed with the number and causes of deaths, the study concludes that From June to September 2022, 61,672 people lost their lives as a result of the heat1,772 of which in Catalonia, with a mortality rate of 237 per million inhabitants. The average increase in temperature then ranged between 1º and 3.5º, although on occasions it exceeded 4º and, despite the fact that the waves affected the Mediterranean basin especially, it should be remembered that Great Britain registered the highest temperature in history in 2022 , with 40.3º.
In the study and in other publications, by Eurostat itself and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which already warned of very high death tolls, it is insisted that deaths due to temperature They are not mainly due to heat stroke or work accidents due to lack of concentration or excessive exposure to the sun, but excessive heat, beyond the fact that it can directly affect health, is a trigger for other diseases that become fatal and that prey on the older population, from cardiovascular to respiratory problems, fatally aggravated by high temperatures.
In the case of accidents at work, the figures are much lower, but no less worrying. In Spain, the Ministry of Labor recognized five deaths in the course of work activity in 2022, while so far this summer the figure has reached three. Is about dramatic cases associated with outdoor jobs, from sweepers to field or construction workers.
A single death for this reason should already set off all the alarms and increase the protection mechanisms, provided for in labor legislation and renewed by a regulations of the month of May that require companies to update their prevention plans and risk assessment in cases of heat spikes.
Many experts consider that the regulations are little less than advice that is hardly followed in areas more prone to accidents, such as SMEs or self-employed workers. In accordance with the recommendations of the European Union, which is committed to tightening the regulations, it should iLabor inspection should be especially intensified to detect non-compliance with the guidelines.
We must be aware that heat waves will be more likely, more intense and long-lasting in the immediate future, and will occur more frequently. In this situation, Beyond the usual common sense advice, higher prevention quotas are required and more attention to vulnerable groups, both due to the direct impact on the overall health of citizens and the precariousness of those most exposed to suffering the consequences of temperatures incompatible with work activity.