A decree which entered into force in July 2025 imposes new preventive measures in the face of the increase in episodes of intense heat, disrupting the organization of work.
Since July 1, 2025, a decree specifies the obligations of employers during “episodes of intense heat”, when the weather changes to yellow, orange or red alert. This text, which takes place in a context of increasing heat waves in France, requires companies to adapt their organization to protect the health of employees.
Strengthened obligations for employers
The decree recommends “adapting the organization of work”, such as shifting working hours, “increasing as much as possible the fresh drinking water made available” and “choosing appropriate work equipment”. Employers, responsible for the health of their employees, are required to assess and prevent risks. This obligation applies to all sectors, even if some, such as construction, are subject to stricter rules, in particular the provision of a rest room and “three liters of fresh drinking water per employee per day”.
The National Institute for Research and Safety (INRS) estimates that vigilance is necessary from 28°C for physical work, and 30°C for office work. The labor code does not provide for a temperature above which it would be appropriate to suspend activity.
In Saint-Priest, in the metropolis of Lyon, the Montabert factory, specializing in the manufacture of rock breakers and hydraulic drills, is preparing to activate level 2 of its heatwave plan, and undoubtedly level 3 at the end of the week. This involves providing fans and misters, ventilating the premises at night, distributing water to workers, extending break times and the possibility of taking showers. The most arduous tasks can be reorganized for cooler hours, or limited outdoor work.
In the construction sector, anticipation has become a priority. “In 2024, there were 7,909 hours of work compensated for high heat. In 2025, it was 120,698 hours,” illustrates Mohamed Trabelsi, responsible for high heat at the technical direction of the Professional Organization for the Prevention of Building and Public Works (OPPBTP). “For the past year, companies have been asking us more and more to update their unique professional risk assessment document. We explain to them that the most important thing is to anticipate organizational solutions: change schedules, increase breaks, limit or even suspend physical tasks.”
“This decree did not radically change the regulations, but it contributed to an awareness by the employer that heat was a real risk, among others that it is up to them to apprehend,” estimates Jennifer Shettle, head of the legal information center at INRS. “We sense from the questions they ask us that the subject has been taken care of. But it’s still too often at the last minute. We must anticipate these issues as much as possible, starting in winter itself.”
Yet implementation remains uneven. “Sometimes the employer provides the bottle, but neither the water point nor the fridge,” adds Astrid Dumoulin, national secretary of the Construction-Wood federation of the CFDT, who published a specific guide. Our teams went to distribute it on Wednesday in front of the EPR construction site in Penly and noted that many subcontractors had not planned to adapt their organization. She adds: “This risk should be integrated into the specifications. We should think about it when ordering outfits, tools, construction vehicles: can the cockpit be air-conditioned?”
Human and social consequences
The emergency is real, because the heat can seriously harm your health. In 2025, nine fatal workplace accidents have been recognized as “supposedly linked” to heat waves. In July 2025, a 50-year-old man employed at a freight warehouse in Seine-Saint-Denis, where it was 37°C, died, the organization having not been changed despite very physical work. On May 27, when it was 31°C in the shade in Drôme, a 19-year-old roofer died after falling ill on a roof.
Since 2024, the heatwave has joined the list of bad weather conditions giving rise to the right to technical unemployment on construction sites, and the working hours compensated for this have exploded, going from 7,909 in 2024 to 120,698 in 2025. During its health watch, from June to September 2025, the labor inspectorate tripled its interventions compared to 2024, totaling 4,557 checks. However, an inspector cannot stop a construction site solely because of the heat. Employees can exercise their right of withdrawal, but this possibility is very rarely put into practice.
A phenomenon set to intensify
Heat waves are becoming more and more frequent and intense in France, with “4 times more heatwave days in the last decade than in the 1980s”. In 2022, the hottest year on record, “1,500 heat records” have been broken in the country. By 2050, France could experience “5 times more days of heat waves”. The national plan for adaptation to climate change (PNACC) also includes specific measures to support businesses in their efforts. Faced with this new situation, anticipation and reorganization of work are now emerging as major challenges for the health and safety of employees.
