The Minister of Labor urges employers to adapt the organization of work during episodes of high heat and recalls the strengthening of sanctions.
While an intense heat wave affects a large part of the territory this Friday, June 19, 2026, the Minister of Labor, Jean-Pierre Farandou, called on employers to take all the usual precautions to ensure the safety of their employees during the heatwave. Faced with the multiplication of episodes of extreme heat, he insists on the need to adapt the organization of work to protect the health of workers.
A recognized professional risk
Jean-Pierre Farandou underlines that extreme heat poses “a real professional risk” for employees and can lead to “discomfort, accidents and even tragedies”. He recalls that employers have obligations to respect: “they must organize themselves and take precautions. They must take common sense measures, and not expose their employees to the hottest hours”, he said on RMC this Friday, June 19, taking the example of the building and public works (BTP) and agriculture sectors.
For the Minister of Labor, we must “not hesitate to shift working hours”, even if it means “working earlier in the morning, stopping working during the hottest hours and possibly resuming at the end of the afternoon or very early evening”. In the construction industry, “we stop construction sites for longer” if necessary, he continues, calling on everyone to hydrate well and consume plenty of fresh water. Jean-Pierre Farandou calls for an “adaptation of schedules” rather than an interruption of work for several days.
More generally, Jean-Pierre Farandou openly questions how the world of work could organize itself in the face of climate change. “It’s interesting to look at how it is practiced culturally and historically in countries like Spain, particularly in the south of the country where it is very hot,” he explained, affirming that it will be necessary “perhaps, in the long term, to do like the Andalusians”. He insists that “there is a social issue to see how society, overall, is organized”.
Strengthened obligations and increased sanctions
The minister reminds employers of their obligations, and promises that the sanctions are “reinforced”. A recent law “promulgated a few days ago” and “validated just yesterday by the Constitutional Council” provides “that a company which does not provide the single document on the assessment of risks which makes it possible to organize prevention for the health of workers, with a particular chapter around intense heat, would be sanctioned”. On this subject, “labor inspectors will strengthen controls,” he said.
Jean-Pierre Farandou, Minister of Labor, insists on the need for collective mobilization to adapt the world of work to new climate realities.
