Heatwave and work-study in 2026: your rights when the CFA closes

Summer 2026 is starting on a reality that many apprentices discover during the first heatwave: between the CFA (training centre) and the company, who is responsible when it is 38 °C? And what happens when an employer decides to "make up" the hours because the CFA closed for an orange alert? The law is more protective than you might think — provided you know it.

In short: since 1 July 2025 (decree no. 2025-482 of 27 May 2025), the French Labour Code requires employers to take specific measures during intense heat episodes flagged by Météo-France: adjusted working hours and organisation, sufficient cool drinking water, suitable equipment, and information for employees. These rules apply fully to apprentices. If the CFA closes, the apprentice in principle goes to their company; no legal text provides for "making up" CFA hours, and any extra hour must be paid. In construction, a worksite stoppage during an orange or red alert can be compensated by the bad-weather unemployment scheme.

What does the law say when the CFA closes for a heatwave?

The first reflex to keep in mind: CFA closure does not mean exemption from going to the company. Time spent at the CFA is working time (article L. 6222-24 of the Labour Code): when the training establishment closes exceptionally (orange or red Météo-France alert), the apprentice is in principle expected at their company, unless instructed otherwise or materially unable to get there (public transport stopped, the company itself closed).

"The employer takes the necessary measures to ensure safety and protect the physical and mental health of workers." — article L. 4121-1 of the French Labour Code

The Labour Code only allows making up lost hours in limited cases, notably a collective interruption of work within the company due to bad weather or force majeure (article L. 3121-50). CFA closure is not covered by this provision. In practice, if your CFA closes on Tuesday because of an orange alert and your employer asks you to come on Saturday to "compensate", those hours are working time that must be paid, within the maximum working hours — and, if you are a minor, within 8 hours per day and 35 hours per week, with two consecutive days of rest. Note the request in writing (email, SMS) and talk to your CFA.

The employer's concrete obligations in case of intense heat

Article L. 4121-1 of the French Labour Code imposes a general safety obligation on the employer that applies fully to apprentices, whether adults or minors. The Labour Code does not set a maximum temperature: INRS (the French occupational health and safety institute) uses indicative benchmarks (30 °C for office work, 28 °C for physical or outdoor work). Since 1 July 2025, decree no. 2025-482 of 27 May 2025 regulates intense heat episodes, defined by reference to Météo-France's heatwave alert (articles R. 4463-1 et seq.). In particular, the employer must:

• Include heat risk in the risk assessment (the "document unique") and reassess it during an intense heat episode;
• Adapt work organisation, especially working hours, to reduce the duration and intensity of exposure, with rest periods;
• Provide cool drinking water in sufficient quantity — on construction sites, at least 3 litres per day per worker where there is no running water;
• Limit exposure through practical arrangements (protection from solar radiation, suitable rest areas, mandatory on worksites);
• Provide protective equipment suited to the heat: cap, light clothing, sunglasses, SPF 50 sunscreen for positions in full sun;
• Inform and train employees on the risks and the right reflexes.

For minor apprentices, the Labour Code provides complementary rules (reduced maximum working hours, prohibition of night work except under exemptions) which, during a heatwave, favour adjusting working hours rather than extending them.

Construction apprentice: bad-weather unemployment can compensate you

If you work in the building or civil engineering sector, a lever exists: bad-weather unemployment (chômage-intempéries), managed by the CIBTP funds. According to service-public.fr, during an orange or red heatwave alert, a work stoppage due to bad weather can be compensated for construction companies. The declaration procedures are set by the order (arrêté) of 8 April 2026.

The main rules:

1. An orange or red alert from Météo-France (a yellow alert is not enough to trigger these schemes);
2. The employee must have completed at least 200 hours of work in construction during the two months preceding the stoppage;
3. The employer sends a provisional declaration of the stoppage no later than 120 hours after it begins;
4. The final claim form must be sent within the month following the resumption of work, failing which the claim is time-barred.

The compensation amounts to 75% of salary, from the second hour lost in the week, capped at 9 hours per day, 45 hours per week and 55 daily allowances per calendar year. Note: an employee who is simply unable to get to work because of bad weather is not covered by this scheme. In addition, during an orange or red alert, any employer can use partial activity (activité partielle, the French short-time working scheme) on the grounds of "exceptional circumstances".

For an apprentice, the allowance is calculated on their own salary: check your payslip and ask the payroll department if a bad-weather stoppage appears on it.

Penalties faced by companies that do not play by the rules

The employer that ignores its heat obligations faces a cascade of risks — and it is important for the apprentice to know them in order to assert their rights without pressure:

• Formal notice from the labour inspectorate, which can require prevention measures against the risks linked to intense heat episodes, followed by a temporary stoppage of activity in case of non-compliance;
• Employment tribunal litigation for breach of the safety obligation;
• Recognition of inexcusable negligence in case of a work accident (heat stroke, fainting, dehydration);
• Criminal risk in case of a serious accident (unintentional injury) or deliberate exposure to danger (endangering others, article 223-1 of the French Penal Code);
• Civil liability of the company for the harm suffered.

For construction apprentices, the sector most exposed to heat episodes, also see our guide work-study in construction: jobs and training 2026.

What to do in practice if your rights are not respected?

If your employer asks you to work unpaid hours, refuses a hydration break, or maintains a dangerous activity in intense heat, here is the procedure to follow — in order, without rushing:

1. Talk to the apprenticeship tutor first: they are responsible for supporting you within the company. If they do not move on it, go to the next step.
2. Contact the CFA by email (copying the pedagogical coordinator): it can intervene with the company.
3. Contact the company's occupational doctor: they can propose workstation adjustments. You can ask to see them at any time, and this request cannot justify a sanction.
4. Contact the labour inspectorate via your regional DREETS (contact details on your DREETS website).
5. Contact the CSE if there is one: its members have a right to alert in case of serious and imminent danger.

In case of serious and imminent danger, the right of withdrawal (droit de retrait, article L. 4131-1 of the Labour Code) also applies to apprentices. In an emergency (heat stroke, a colleague fainting), the 15 (SAMU) obviously takes priority over any administrative procedure.

A few reflexes to keep in mind this summer

• Check the Météo-France alert every morning before leaving: the site vigilance.meteofrance.fr is the reference, and the support schemes (partial activity, bad-weather unemployment) are linked to orange or red alerts.
• Hydrate before you feel thirsty: in intense heat, physical effort outdoors makes you lose a lot of water through sweating.
• Note the temperatures recorded on your worksite or in your workshop: these readings may be useful in case of dispute.
• Keep a written record of any contentious instruction (email, SMS, written message): in case of dispute, it is the number one piece of evidence.
• Check your payslip after a heatwave: our salary simulator gives the reference minimum wage, and our apprentice contract rights page summarises your protections.

For apprentices starting in September 2026, keep in mind that a heatwave is not a "bonus break": it is a regulated occupational risk, and your employer has the obligation to protect you. If that is not the case, speak up — the law is on your side.