More than 70% of the global workforce is at risk from severe heat – report

More than 70% of the global workforce is at risk from death or injury as a result of extreme heat.

The United Nations (UN) says 2.4 billion people are being endangered by “increasingly severe heat waves driven largely by a fossil-fuel charged, human-induced climate crisis.”

Secretary-General of the UN, António Guterres, is urging for international cooperation to reduce the risks. Speaking in July 2024, he said: "Extreme heat is having an extreme impact on people and the planet. The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures.” Guterres calls for action in four areas, these include:

Heatwaves can strike in most areas of the world, including polar regions, but traditionally hot areas are posing increased risks to workers as the planet warms.

The illustration below, from the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), shows the regions in which workers are most exposed to extreme heat.

In Africa, nearly 93% of the workforce is exposed to extreme heat. On the Arabian Peninsula, over 83% of workers face excessive heat. In Europe and Central Asia, the risk to workers from extreme heat is increasing faster than anywhere else in the world, having risen by more than 17% since 2020.

The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) identifies workers most at risk from excessive heat. They include; “firefighters, bakery workers, farmers, construction workers, miners, boiler room workers, factory workers and others”.

NIOSH says workers aged 65 or older, who are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure are at greater risk from extreme heat.

Almost 23 million workplace injuries worldwide are caused by excessive heat, according to the UN Secretary-General warned in his July 2024 address.

Heat stress “an invisible killer”, the ILO report says, adding that it can “immediately impact workers on the job, by leading to illnesses such as heat exhaustion, heatstroke and even death. In the longer term, workers are developing serious and debilitating chronic diseases, impacting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as the kidneys”.

The ILO says 26.2 million people are living with chronic kidney disease as a result of heat stress in the workplace.

The World Economic Forum draws a link between global warming and risks to the health of billions of people in a 2024 report, which looks beyond the impact of excessive heat in the workplace.

Quantifying the Impact of Climate Change on Human Health finds that extreme weather events, including heatwaves, are already responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, highlighting the 62,000 deaths attributed to the European heatwave that occurred between May and September 2022.

The report predicts heat waves will claim approximately 1.6 million lives globally by 2050, with those aged 65 and older being the most susceptible to the prolonged extreme temperatures. Regions including South East Asia are likely to see increased health impacts from prolonged heat waves in the future.

With climate change posing such threats to public health, especially for vulnerable groups, a World Economic Forum report aims to pinpoint the climate health intersections most in need of immediate attention. Created with LEK Consulting, ‘Health Impacts of Climate Change: Evidence Landscape and Role of Private Sector’ analyzes these impacts, identifies research gaps and offers guidance on private-sector actions to improve health outcomes.

The report forms part of the Forum's broader Climate and Health Initiative, which seeks to improve society's ability to address the health impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat waves, uniting industry, government and international leaders to create collaborative strategies and exchange best practices. Its goals include raising awareness of climate change, assessing its effects on health and economics and promoting cross-sector collaboration for a more resilient society.

There are simple and effective measures to mitigate the dangers of excessive heat in the workplace, such as ensuring adequate hydration and providing cool and shaded rest areas, the ILO says.

At a strategic level, it wants to see obsolete regulations updated and the extension of worker protections beyond periods officially classed as heatwaves.

Involving workers in developing heat-stress policies fit for a warming world will be crucial for success. Collaboration and sharing knowledge across borders, says the ILO, will speed progress on policies to protect billions of workers from the growing threat of excessive heat.