Earth News from TerraDaily.com
Barcelona seeks to protect workers from heat after death
Barcelona, July 2 (AFP) Jul 02, 2025
Barcelona adopted plans Wednesday to tighten safety rules to protect sanitation workers from heatwaves after a woman died in the searing temperatures that have hit Spain and much of Europe.

The woman, who was employed by a company providing cleaning services to the Mediterranean coastal city, died Saturday after working her shift in mid-heatwave.

The city's four sanitation providers will now be required to activate heat protection protocols when temperatures reach the "yellow alert" level, 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit), instead of the previous requirement, which kicked in at "orange alert", or 37C.

"Every year, we're seeing a new face of climate change and the effects of increasing temperatures on our city. That means we need to update our protocols every year," said first deputy mayor Laia Bonet after meeting with sanitation companies.

The measures provide for five-minute water breaks every hour on the hottest routes, an insulated water bottle for every worker, and routes optimized to keep workers in the shade as much as possible during the sunniest periods.

Under "red alerts", from 40C, employees will only work with vehicles during the hottest hours.

The cause of the worker's death is still being investigated.

Spain has been hit by a major early-summer heatwave since the weekend, with temperatures of more than 40C in many places.

It was the country's hottest June on record, according to the national weather service.





Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Growing evidence for evolving Dark Energy could inspire a new model of the Universe
LHAASO reveals hidden cosmic engines in high-energy Milky Way survey
European students complete immersive analog Mars mission in Portugal

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Bezos-backed methane-tracking satellite lost in space
Blackout at refinery highlights Venezuela's oil industry crisis
Trump says 'very wealthy' group to buy TikTok

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
China launches international association to boost global access to deep space research
Planet secures 240 million euro satellite services contract with German government
Planet expands defense partnerships with key AI surveillance contracts

24/7 News Coverage
Consortium plans global shift toward net negative carbon economy
Six satellites launched for ICEYE as constellation expansion gains momentum
WHO says all Covid-19 origin theories still open, after inconclusive study


ADVERTISEMENT



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.