The United Nations recently warned that a large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, warning that existing regulations offered inadequate protection.
“A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change related hazards in the workplace and these figures are only likely to get worse,” the UN’s International Labor Organization said in a report.
Farm workers and others who carry out heavy labor in hot climates especially “may be exposed to a cocktail of hazards,” the ILO said. These include excessive heat, UV radiation, air pollution, vector-borne diseases, and agrochemicals.
Those working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated spaces are also at risk.
It pointed out that in 2020 – the last year for which statistics are available – 2.4 billion workers, or more than 70 percent of the global workforce, were estimated to be exposed to excessive heat at some point.
The number of exposed workers had ballooned by 35 percent over two decades, and even adjusting for the growing global population, the percentage of the labor force affected had swelled by 8.8 percent since 2000, said Manal Azzi, the ILO senior specialist on occupational safety and health.
“This is a huge issue,” she said, warning that “workers are often forgotten when we’re talking about climate change, and the health impacts are very severe.”
Nearly 23 million occupational injuries attributed to excessive heat are reported each year, costing, on estimate, nearly 19,000 lives annually. These numbers do not include the more than 26 million people who live with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress, the ILO said.
Furthermore, the impact of global warming on workers goes well beyond heat exposure, as the report noted that numerous dangerous health conditions in workers had been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction, and mental health conditions.
“It is clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers,” Azzi said. “It is essential that we heed these warnings. Occupational safety and health considerations must become part of our climate change responses – both policies and actions.”
The ILO said climate change hazards could require countries to reevaluate existing legislation or create new regulations to protect workers properly.
As we commemorate Labor Day today, let us remember that it is about more than just salaries and wages, but the whole package also includes the constant improvement of working conditions as well. As the world heats up and conditions become more oppressive for workers all over the world, governments and the private sector will need to continue reevaluating the situations, legislation, and policies to ensure that workers are provided with liveable working conditions, and are protected from all sorts of new and old occupational hazards that come with the changing times and climate.*
