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Report at a glance: Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate
WHO Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework (ESSF)
The Increasing Risks to Our People-Powered Economy
Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate
Climate change impacts and workforce development needs in Federal Region X: A qualitative study of occupational health and safety professionals’ perceptions
Climate change is considered one of the top health threats in the United States. This research sought to (1) to understand the perceptions of occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals regarding the impacts of climate-related hazards on OHS in Region X, and (2) to explore the ideas of these OHS professionals regarding the content of future training programs that would better prepare OHS professionals to identify and mitigate climate-related hazards in Region X. Key informant (KI) interviews with 17 OHS professionals familiar with the climate-related hazards and impacts to OHS in Region X were coded and thematically analyzed. Climate hazards, social and economic impacts from climate-related hazards, and sector-specific worker and workplace impacts from climate-related hazards were described as having interacting relationships that influenced worker health and safety impacts. KIs further described how workplace controls could be used to mitigate OHS impacts of climate-related hazards, and how training of the OHS workforce could influence the ability to successfully implement such controls. Our findings suggest that OHS impacts are sector-specific, influenced by social and economic factors, and can be mitigated through workplace controls designed and implemented by a trained OHS workforce. The findings from this work should inform future educational and training programming and additional research and translation activities in the region, while our approach can inform other regions as they develop regionally specific OHS climate change training and programming.
Impacts of climate change on occupational health indicators in the three climatic regions of Iran
Climate change has increased the exposure risk of workers to occupational health risk factors and diseases. This study aims to investigate the impacts of climate change on the occupational health indicators at the workplaces in Iran. This study was conducted during 2021 in three climatic regions of Iran. Required data was collected from Health Deputies of Medical Universities and Iran Meteorological Organization. Stepwise linear regression model used for data analysis and predictions were done based on three scenarios of SSP1-2.6, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5 during the period of 2021-2100. This indicated 2.6 and 2.9 times higher percentage of workers who were exposed to heat stress and Ultra Violet (UV) radiation, respectively, in the provinces understudy. This study suggests a holistic approach to address potential impacts of climate change on workers’ health and safety that would benefit in making decisions on climate-related planning and developing the adaptation strategies at workplaces.
Impact of climate change on occupational health and safety: A review of methodological approaches
BACKGROUND: The working population is exposed daily to unavoidable climatic conditions due to their occupational settings. Effects of the weather such as rain, heat, and air pollution may increase the risk of diseases, injuries, accidents, and even death during labor. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to summarize the impacts of climate change on workers’ health, safety and performance, identifying the risks, affected workplaces and the range of methodological approaches used to assess this problem. METHODS: A thorough systematic mapping was conducted in seven scientific international databases: Emerald, IEEE Xplore, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus, SpringerLink, and Web of Science. Three research questions guided the extraction process resulting in 170 articles regarding the impacts of climate change on occupational health and safety. RESULTS: We found an accentuated trend in observational studies applying primary and secondary data collection. Many studies focused on the association between rising temperatures and occupational hazards, mainly in outdoor work settings such as agriculture. The variation of temperature was the most investigated impact of climate change. CONCLUSIONS: We established a knowledge base on how to explore the impacts of climate change on workers’ well-being and health. Researchers and policymakers benefit from this review, which explores the suitable methods found in the literature and highlights the most recurring risks and their consequences to occupational health and safety.
Climate change vulnerability, adaptation assessment, and policy development for occupational health
Global climate change exposes workers to increased air temperature, polluted air, and ultraviolet radiation due to ozone depletion, increased extreme weather events, and evolving patterns of vector-borne diseases. These climate change hazards are causing acute and chronic health problems to workers. The occupational distribution of the population is the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change worldwide. Climate change-related adverse health hazards to the general population is getting evident around the globe. A limited focus has been made on developing a relationship between climate change and related occupational health hazards. This policy paper aims to guide health officials and policymakers to develop a climate change mitigation policy for the occupational distribution of the population. Absolute magnitude determination of climate changerelated health risks is essential to developing projecting models and predicting future hazards and risks. These models will help us to estimate climate change and environmental exposure, susceptibility of the exposed population, and capacity of public health practice and services to reduce climate change impact. Adaptation policies in international, national, and local occupational settings are required to acclimatize the workers and mitigate climate change-related adverse effects.
Protecting workers in Nicaragua
Air pollution and health: an introduction for health workers
Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work
Human Climate Horizons (HCH)
Protection Resilience Efficiency and Prevention for Workers in Industrial Agriculture in a Changing Climate: The Adelante Initiative (Nicaragua)
Evaluating the effectiveness of labor protection policy on occupational injuries caused by extreme heat in a large subtropical city of China
Barriers to occupational heat stress risk adaptation of mining workers in Ghana
Air Temperatures and Occupational Injuries in the Construction Industries: A Report From Northern Italy (2000-2013)
Environmental and occupational risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease of unknown Etiology in West Javanese rice farmers, Indonesia
Chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin in Mesoamerica: A disease primarily driven by occupational heat stress
An occupational heat stress and hydration assessment of agricultural workers in north Mexico
Workplace Heat: An Increasing Threat to Occupational Health and Productivity
The nexus between social impacts and adaptation strategies of workers to occupational heat stress: A conceptual framework
Nationwide epidemiological study for estimating the effect of extreme outdoor temperature on occupational injuries in Italy
Interaction between indoor occupational heat stress and environmental temperature elevations during heat waves
Fanning as an alternative to air conditioning – A sustainable solution for reducing indoor occupational heat stress
Evaluation of the impact of heat stress on the occurrence of occupational injuries: Meta-analysis of observational studies
Estimating personal ambient temperature in moderately cold environments for occupationally exposed populations
Estimating occupational heat exposure from personal sampling of public works employees in Birmingham, Alabama
An occupational heat-health warning system for Europe: The HEAT-SHIELD platform
Workers’ health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis
The effect of hot days on occupational heat stress in the manufacturing industry: Implications for workers’ well-being and productivity
Perceptions of climate change and occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies of mining workers in Ghana
Occupational heat exposure among municipal workers
Limited role of working time shift in offsetting the increasing occupational-health cost of heat exposure
Evaluation of occupational exposure limits for heat stress in outdoor workers – United States, 2011-2016
Evaluation of the impact of ambient temperatures on occupational injuries in Spain
Effects of occupational heat exposure on traffic police workers in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Climate change and occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies of mining workers: Perspectives of supervisors and other stakeholders in Ghana
Assessment of occupational exposure to heat stress and solar ultraviolet radiation among groundskeepers in an eastern North Carolina university setting
Air temperature exposure and agricultural occupational injuries in the autonomous province of Trento (2000-2013, north-eastern Italy)
Actual and simulated weather data to evaluate wet bulb globe temperature and heat index as alerts for occupational heat-related illness
Occupational heat stress and kidney health: From farms to factories
An Overview of Occupational Risks From Climate Change
The influence of occupational heat exposure on cognitive performance and blood level of stress hormones: A field study report
Impact of climate conditions on occupational health and related economic losses: A new feature of global and urban health in the context of climate change
Heat stress and inadequate sanitary facilities at workplaces – an occupational health concern for women?
Determination of air enthalpy based on meteorological data as an indicator for heat stress assessment in occupational outdoor environments, a field study in Iran
Occupational heat-related illness emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations in the southeast region, 2007-2011
Outdoor occupational environments and heat stress in Iran
Heat index and adjusted temperature as surrogates for wet bulb globe temperature to screen for occupational heat stress
Extreme heat and occupational heat illnesses in South Australia, 2001-2010
Climate change induced occupational stress and reported morbidity among cocoa farmers in South-Western Nigeria
Characterizing occupational heat-related mortality in the United States, 2000-2010: An analysis using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries database
The use of Bayesian inference to inform the surveillance of temperature-related occupational morbidity in Ontario, Canada, 2004-2010
Summer outdoor temperature and occupational heat-related illnesses in Quebec (Canada)
Occupational heat stress and associated productivity loss estimation using the PHS model (ISO 7933): A case study from workplaces in Chennai, India
Incorporating occupational risk in heat stress vulnerability mapping
Effects of occupational heat exposure on female brick workers in West Bengal, India
Climate change and occupational health: A South African perspective
Air temperature exposure and outdoor occupational injuries: A significant cold effect in Central Italy
Climate change, workplace heat exposure, and occupational health and productivity in Central America
The association between overall health, psychological distress, and occupational heat stress among a large national cohort of 40,913 Thai workers
Health impact of climate change on occupational health and productivity in Thailand
Climate change and occupational heat stress: Methods for assessment
The ‘Hothaps’ programme for assessing climate change impacts on occupational health and productivity: An invitation to carry out field studies
Caring for those who care: The role of the occupational health nurse in disasters
Protecting workers: occupational safety and health in response to the covid-19 pandemic
1st Meeting of ICOH SCTF (2018-2021) Meeting on the occupational-health and Productivity Impacts of Workplace Heat in Relation to global and Local Climate Change
Assessment of Occupational Heat Strain and Mitigation Strategies in Qatar
Occupational Exposure to Heat and Hot Environments: Criteria for a Recommended Standard
Occupational and Environmental Cancer: Recognition and Prevention
