* Construction firms change working hours and schools close

* European temperatures rise furthest above historic

averages

* Demand surges for fans and portable air conditioning

By Matthias Inverardi, Guillermo Martinez and Yamini Kalia

DUSSELDORF/MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) - As a heatwave pushes

temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104° Fahrenheit) across

Europe, companies are trying to protect workers, to keep

operations running and capitalise on soaring demand for anything

that might offer relief.

In Germany, logistics giant DHL has equipped delivery staff

with "cool boxes" containing reusable cooling towels,

water-activated wrist coolers and UV-protective neck guards as

its over 111,000 postal workers continue their rounds in the

heat.

Construction firms are shifting working hours to start

earlier and finish before the hottest part of the day, while

retailers are struggling to keep pace with demand for fans and

portable air-conditioning units.

"The extremely high temperatures naturally pose a special

strain during physically demanding work," DHL said, adding that

workers are being urged to drink plenty of fluids, use sunscreen

and seek shade whenever possible.

As an intense weather system has drawn in hot air northwards

from the Sahara, in France, 40 people have drowned in recent

days. They were seeking to avoid temperatures that reached peaks

above 41 degrees in Bordeaux and Poitiers, southwestern France.

Regional schools closed or modified timetables, while,

further north, parts of Britain are also bracing for record June

temperatures.

Of all continents, Europe has suffered the sharpest increase in

temperatures scientists have linked to human-induced climate

change. It was the continent furthest above its historic

temperature norm on Monday, according to Reuters Climate Monitor

data.

NOWHERE TO ESCAPE THE HEAT

For many workers, coping strategies are becoming a routine

part of the job.

"I wear light clothes and I keep drinking, hydrating because

it is unbearable," said Madrid electrician Vladimir Yepes, 58.

"Even when we are not under the sun, the temperature keeps

rising."

Accountant Juan Antonio Casas, 60, said that in the

air-conditioned office things were bearable, but that it was

"horrible to go out in the street".

Germany's Central Association of the Construction Industry

said road-building crews and outdoor workers were most exposed

to the risks associated with extreme heat.

"People often start earlier and finish correspondingly

earlier to avoid the hottest part of the day," said Heribert

Jöris, the association's head of social and collective

bargaining policy.

As working hours are adapted, France's association of farm

cooperatives said some silos were organising night shifts to

receive grain because local authorities have banned afternoon

harvesting to limit the risk of fire.

SALES OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME

The heat has created winners as well as losers.

British electrical retailer Currys ( DSITF ) said sales of fans jumped

nearly 3,000% compared with the previous weekend ahead of the

latest heatwave, while air-conditioning unit sales rose 330%.

AO World finance chief Mark Higgins said the heat in Britain,

which also experienced record temperatures in May, had boosted

demand earlier than normal.

"The UK has had a hot weather spike through May, which is

earlier than we would normally see in the year," Higgins said.

"When it is hot, we do see huge sales of air conditioning and

fans."

The surge points to a broader shift in a continent

historically less dependent on air conditioning than regions

such as North America, where it is commonplace.

A GROWING ECONOMIC COST

If some people's profits are rising, most people are facing

unwelcome costs as a result of the droughts, floods and

heatwaves that climate change makes more likely.

A 2025 study from the University of Mannheim and European

Central Bank economists found that extreme weather events could

cost the European Union some €126 billion ($143.46 billion) by

2029.

Southern Europe is especially vulnerable and public

authorities are being forced to respond.

Madrid has expanded a network of "climate shelters" designed

to offer respite to vulnerable residents. Others have taken

action to keep their own homes cool, but there is a price.

Yandri, a 28-year-old plumber in the Spanish capital, said

he sleeps with air conditioning running through the night.

"You will see the bill. It is going to be big," he said.

($1 = 0.8783 euros)