Safeguarding Occupational Safety in a Changing Climate

The International Labour Organization (ILO) report emphasizes the critical need in safeguarding occupational safety amidst escalating heat exposure due to climate change, affecting over 70% of the global workforce.

Exposure to Heat and Health Risks:

• Over 70% of the global workforce, approximately 2.41 billion workers, are exposed to dangerous levels of heat, marking a 34.7% increase over the last two decades.

Health Consequences:

• Climate change has been linked to numerous health conditions in workers, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney dysfunction, mental health conditions, and more.
• Annually, excessive heat results in 22.85 million occupational injuries, 18,970 deaths, and 2.09 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
• Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) prevalent among workers in hot, rural areas.
• An estimated 1.6 billion workers are annually exposed to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation, leading to over 18,960 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer.
• Exposure to workplace air pollution and other occupational hazards like pesticide poisoning and parasitic diseases contribute to hundreds of thousands of additional deaths each year.
• Vector-borne Diseases affects workers, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, leading to more than 15,170 deaths annually.
• Extreme Weather Events puts workers at risk during events such as storms, floods, and hurricanes, impacting their safety and health.

Broader Economic and Employment Impact:

• Climate change poses risks such as job losses, damage to business assets, business interruptions, and decreased labor productivity.
• Forced migration and threats to ecosystems disrupt sectors like agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which support over 1.2 billion jobs.

Vulnerable Populations:

• Outdoor workers in physically demanding jobs in hot climates and indoor workers in poorly ventilated areas face significant risks.
• Women in roles like subsistence agriculture and men in heavy manual labor, such as construction and agriculture, are particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change.
• Workers with disabilities are particularly vulnerable due to factors such as poverty and lower educational attainment.
• In India estimated 100,000 farmers committed suicide between 1993 and 2003, citing reasons such as water shortages and decreased crop yields.

Existing international labor standards related to climate change and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) include:

• The Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006, addressing climate-related occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards.
• The Plantations Convention, 1958, and standards concerning ambient factors in the workforce, focusing on excessive heat.
• The Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise, and Vibration) Convention, 1977, addressing air pollution concerns.

Recommendations:

• The need for constant re-evaluation of existing OSH policies to adapt to the intensifying effects of climate change.
• Certain worker groups, like agricultural workers in hot climates, require additional protections.
• Social dialogue between governments and social partners is essential for ensuring policies are practical and effective at the workplace level.
• OSH policies and programmes should be coordinated among government departments to ensure policy coherence.
• Targeted national policies, coupled with effective workplace preventive measures, are essential to address the impacts of climate change on the workforce.
• A global multisectoral response is necessary, employing both mitigation and adaptation strategies to combat climate change’s effects.
• Limited scientific data on climate change impacts on OSH necessitates further research and education among stakeholders.

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