Rising heat seriously affects workers' health: UN
Rising global temperatures are having a "serious" impact on workers' health and productivity, the UN warned Friday, urging immediate action.
Extreme heat poses increasing challenges in the workplace, the United Nations health and climate agencies said in issuing guidance for governments, experts, and health authorities on how to mitigate the risks.
"Action is needed now to address the increasingly serious effects of calorie overload on workers around the world," they stated.
Many employees are routinely exposed to dangerous heat conditions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
However, the WHO and WMO note that the frequency and intensity of such extreme heat events have increased significantly , raising the dangers for both outdoor and indoor workers.
Workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction, and fishing are particularly affected, the agencies added.
They stated that worker productivity decreases by 2% to 3% for every degree above 20 degrees Celsius.
Related health risks include heat exhaustion, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, and neurological disorders.
"Occupational heat stress has become a global societal challenge, and it no longer affects only countries near the equator, as demonstrated by the recent heat wave in Europe," said Ko Barrett, WMO Assistant Secretary-General.
"Protecting workers from extreme heat is not just a health imperative, but an economic necessity," he said.
The agencies requested action plans to combat heat at work, tailored to specific industries and regions.
The guidelines are based on findings from the International Labour Organization (ILO), which highlight that more than 2.4 billion workers worldwide are exposed to excessive heat, representing 71% of the global working population.
This causes more than 22.85 million workplace accidents each year and nearly 19,000 deaths.
The WHO 's last technical report and guide on heat stress in the workplace dates back to 1969, "when the world was very different in terms of climate change," according to Ruediger Krech, WHO's Director of Environment.
"What's changed is gravity," he said, as each of the last 10 years has been one of the 10 warmest on record.
According to scientists, heat waves are becoming more intense and frequent around the world due to human-caused climate change .
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