Heatwave health risk to 1.5 million workers in Italy in next three days - report

The intense, deadly heatwave that has

been baking much of Europe for a week could put the health of

1.5 million workers in Italy in danger over the next three days,

according to a report by Greenpeace and the CGIL trade union.

The estimate derives from an analysis of heat-risk forecasts

from the Worklimate project of the National Research Council

(CNR) and workplace-accidents-and-occupational-illness-insurance

agency INAIL and employment data from national statistics agency

Istat.

It said the provinces and metropolitan areas with the highest

numbers of workers potentially at risk were Rome (427,000, 25%

of workers), Milan (347,000, 14%), and Naples (133,000, 19%).

The sectors with the highest number of exposed people were

construction (603,000 workers), road freight transport,

warehousing, delivery and ride-hailing services (537,000), and

landscape maintenance and building services (292,000).

"Extreme heat is no longer an exceptional event, but a

structural consequence of the climate crisis, which is already

changing the way we live and work," said Simona Abbate, Climate

and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Italia.

"Protecting workers requires immediate prevention and adaptation

measures, but also a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.

"It is unacceptable that the costs of the climate crisis fall on

people, public services, and businesses, while oil and gas

companies continue to accumulate billions in profits.

"This is why we are calling on the fossil fuel industries

themselves to finance the measures needed to protect the

population from the impacts they have helped cause".

At least five people have died in the heat wave in Italy.

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