Workers and heat stress

“Heat stress is an invisible killer,” says the International Labour Organization (ILO) in its report on Heat at work: Implications for safety and health (July 2024). The report delves into the state of play in relation to workplace heat stress, as well as an analysis of national legislation to address heat stress from 21 countries around the world.

Human Level’s Take: The science and data is clear. A greater number of workers (2.41 billion) are exposed to excessive heat and, therefore, experiencing heat-related occupational injuries and dying as a result. Even in regions typically viewed as somewhat protected from extreme heat, such as Europe, we are seeing rapidly increasing heat-related occupational injuries since 2000. Workers are getting injured and dying now and so heat stress preventative and control measures need to be implemented now as a matter of urgency. These measures should be rights-based and be developed and implemented with workers and their representatives. In addition, the interconnections between climate change, the just transition, and heat stress should be prioritised in heat action plans and climate transition plans.

Key points from the report:

• The situation is rapidly getting worse: 2.41 billion workers (i.e., 70% of the working population) are exposed to excessive heat due to global warming, with May 2024 being the twelfth consecutive hottest month on record. This resulted in 22.85 million non-fatal injuries and 18,970 deaths annually. In addition, Africa and the Americas were regions with the highest proportion of occupational injuries attributable to excessive heat (7.2% and 6.7%, respectively).  Furthermore, the Americas, Europe and Central Asia were regions with most rapidly increasing heat-related occupational injuries since 2000 (33.3% and 16.4% increase, respectively). There is also a business case for managing workers’ exposure to excessive heat, with US$361 billion saved globally if adequate occupational safety and health (OSH) measures are put in place. Outside of a heatwave, 9/10 workers are exposed to excessive heat, with 8/10 occupational injuries linked to this excessive heat. In short, global warming is directly increasing the number of workers exposed to heat stress. This results in an increase in the number of workers exposed to injuries or dying.
  

• What response measures exist?: The report provides an overview of national laws and policies from 21 countries put in place to protect workers from excessive heat in the workplace. The report highlights common provisions for workplace level measures. These are taken directly from the report:
  

1. Participatory risk assessment in the working environment integrating excessive heat
2. Identification of and targeted strategies for worker groups at high risk, including outdoor and indoor workers, those in informal economies and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), among others
3. Use of the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) as a potential heat stress indicator to assess the level of heat exposure, with varying safety thresholds based on work intensity
4. Hydration strategies, including adequate sanitation facilities, especially for female workers
5. Rest, breaks or modified work schedules to limit or avoid exposure to excessive heat, including the ability to self-pace
6. Provision of cool, shaded and ventilated rest areas
7. Heat acclimatisation measures for workers without recent heat exposure
8. Personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to protect workers from heat stress
9. Education and awareness on heat stress and heat-related illnesses
10. Regular medical check-ups and health monitoring
    

• Recommendations: Based on existing measures and lessons learned, the report delves into recommendations that - while not specifically targeted at companies - can be used by the private and public sectors to inform their heat prevention and control strategies so that they can better protect workers. These recommendations are taken directly from the report:
  

1. Prevention and control strategies for heat stress in the working environment need to be strengthened as a matter of urgency
2. Heat action plans and public health campaigns should integrate OSH protections. For instance, excessive heat should be treated as OSH hazards. Likewise OSH considerations should be incorporated into action on climate change and just transition
3. The safety and health of workers should be protected during all periods of excessive heat, not only during heatwaves. A rights-based approach should underpin this approach, which includes the right to a safe and healthy working environment, the right to know about heat stress and the right to remove themselves from dangerous situations
4. Tailored strategies for different sectors, and both indoor and outdoor workers, should be developed and implemented. This recognises that heat stress disproportionately affects certain sectors, occupations and people, such as female workers in the garment sector
5. OSH management systems should integrate heat stress prevention and control measures
6. Workplace protection practices can be simple and affordable. These include providing adequate hydration; work breaks with cool, shaded and ventilated rest areas; modified work schedules; and heat acclimatisation programmes
7. Social dialogue must be the foundation for action. This means that workers and their representatives must be able to participate in developing and implementing OSH policies and strategies on heat stress
8. International, inter-governmental and cross-sector collaboration should be a priority. This involves governments, employers and workers’ organisations, international organisations, OSH networks and NGOs working together to share knowledge, resources and best practices addressing workplace heat stress
9. Targeted empirical research and global knowledge exchanges are urgently needed. This involves global collaboration among experts on heat stress and OSH so as to avoid ad hoc and isolated assessment methodologies and interventions

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