The Ombudsman has initiated an ex officio action requesting the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy information on the inspections it carries out to prevent worker deaths from being exposed to extreme temperatures.
The Ombudsman institution has made this decision after learning, through the media, of several worker deaths in recent days in different parts of the national geography, allegedly due to exposure to extreme temperatures during their working day.
The Ombudsman has recalled that Royal Decree 486/1997, of April 14, establishes the minimum health and safety conditions for workers and that it indicates, among other things, "the obligation to adopt appropriate measures for the protection of people who carry out outdoor work against any risk related to adverse weather phenomena, including extreme temperatures."
The institution has suggested to the Ministry of Labor, now that one of the hottest summers of recent years is beginning -June 2025 has been the warmest since 1961, the year since which the Spanish Meteorological Agency has records-, to remind employers (public and private) of the obligation to protect the health and integrity of workers in the face of extreme temperature episodes.
The ex officio action also requests information on the application of the aforementioned Royal Decree and on how the prediction of this type of risk is addressed in the 2025 Summer Plan.
