At Tesicnor, we are fully aware of how climate change is increasing both the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, and how this directly affects the safety and health of workers—particularly in sectors where activity takes place outdoors or in poorly ventilated indoor environments, across both public and private domains.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Europe has been warming at twice the global average since the 1980s and is the region where heatwaves are intensifying the most, in both frequency and severity. In fact, the extreme heatwaves of 2023 and 2024 affected up to 41% of Southern Europe, with very high levels of thermal risk. This scenario is no longer a future possibility—it is a current reality that challenges work organization, preventive planning, and operational continuity in many organizations.

Direct impact on productivity and the economy

Extreme heat has an unprecedented global impact. According to the 2024 report from The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, over 512 billion work hours were lost worldwide in 2023 due to heat exposure, representing a 50% increase compared to the 1990–1999 average. This loss disproportionately affected the agricultural sector in countries with a low Human Development Index (HDI), where outdoor workers bear the brunt of the impact. The global economic cost of extreme heat reached $835 billion, with losses in low-HDI countries accounting for nearly 8% of their GDP.

In Europe, while the figures are proportionally lower, the impact remains concerning. Studies by the ILO and the European Environment Agency indicate that Europe has lost up to 0.98% of work hours in sectors such as agriculture and construction due to heat, amounting to over 16 million hours per year in some countries. Furthermore, according to data from the ILO report Working on a Warmer Planet, it is projected that by 2030 more than 80 million full-time jobs will be lost globally due to heat stress, with Southern Europe among the most vulnerable regions due to the increasing number of extreme temperature days. In economies such as Spain’s, the annual GDP impact could reach 1.4% if heatwaves intensify, according to Allianz Research.

This cost is not only economic, but also human. At Tesicnor, we believe it is a priority to offer concrete solutions so that occupational safety and health professionals can act in advance

A key tool: the heat stress module in our multirisk platform

As part of our multirisk platform, the heat stress module enables organizations to accurately assess the risk of heat stress in work environments exposed to high temperatures, facilitating the safe planning of work shifts.

The application provides a daily forecast of the WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) index, with one-kilometer spatial resolution for the entire Iberian Peninsula and hourly scale. The WBGT is an internationally recognized indicator that takes into account factors such as air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation (measured by a globe thermometer), and wind speed (air movement) to measure thermal risk under real working conditions. In addition, it allows for the calculation of an adjusted heat index based on key variables such as the type of activity, clothing worn, and rest periods. This enables occupational health and safety professionals to determine whether conditions are suitable for carrying out specific tasks without compromising worker safety—or, if necessary, to schedule rest times or reorganize the workday to keep workers within a safe threshold.

Key features:

• Daily visualization of the general WBGT index by location
• Calculation of the actual heat index adjusted to each workday
• Configurable parameters: type of work, protective clothing, and rest periods
• Decision support for adjusting shifts and minimizing risks

A practical and accurate tool for anticipating the effects of heat and organizing work activities under safer conditions.

This solution is designed for health and safety professionals in both the public and private sectors who need to act quickly and with proper justification in the face of extreme heat scenarios. It’s not just about compliance—it’s about protection.

Official recommendations: what EU-OSHA and INSST say

Leading European occupational health and safety agencies—such as EU-OSHA and INSST—have issued key preventive measures to minimize the impact of heat in the workplace. These recommendations align with the principles of prevention established in European and Spanish regulations and can be integrated into any organization’s operating protocols:

• Schedule the most physically demanding tasks outside peak heat hours, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon.
• Establish regular breaks in cool or shaded areas to allow for thermal recovery.
• Ensure constant access to drinking water to prevent dehydration.
• Adapt the pace of work and promote task rotation to reduce continuous heat exposure.
• Provide workers with lightweight, breathable protective clothing suitable for the task.
• Educate and train personnel on the symptoms of heat stress (headache, dizziness, fatigue, confusion…) and how to respond.
• Implement health monitoring procedures, especially for vulnerable individuals (elderly, people with pre-existing conditions, etc.).

These recommendations apply to both poorly ventilated indoor environments and outdoor work settings, and they provide a solid foundation for implementing effective preventive strategies with the help of digital tools like Tesicnor’s heat stress module.

Want to see how the heat stress module works? Request a free demo and start protecting your team today.