Ss51-03 From Research to Public Policy: How the Heat-Shield Project Has Influenced Policy in the European Union (Eu)

Introduction Heat-Shield was funded by the European Commission to mitigate the health and productivity effects of occupational heat stress on European workers. Materials and Methods The project involved 20 partners from 11 European countries working together during 2016-2022. Most of these partners still work together to address occupational heat stress in Europe and beyond. Results Heat-Shield research resulted in >75 publications in high-impact journals (Lancet, BMJ, Nature Communications, etc.) that have been cited >2500 times to date. We showed that >100,000 full-time jobs in Europe will be lost by 2030 due to heat-induced health problems and productivity losses. We also showed that the annual cost of occupational heat stress for the EU surpasses €160 billion. Also, we developed and evaluated a series of biophysical solutions and mitigation strategies to address the problem, and we included these in a pan-European heat-health warning system. To disseminate our findings, we co-organized/supported many actions with widespread impact by policy makers and large workers’ unions. Currently, our results serve as the basis for discussions worldwide addressing climate change and occupational health and safety. Our outputs have been adopted by Labour Ministries in their guidance documents and Directives, and have been included in guidance material from international organizations, including the WHO, WHO-Europe, ILO, WMO, and UNFCCC. Conclusions As of September 2023, few EU countries have adopted dedicated policies to protect workers from heat stress. However, there is increasing momentum to adopt relevant EU-wide policies and Heat-Shield has played a key role in this.