According to a report released Monday by the United Nations, over 70% of workers globally are facing health risks related to climate change. This puts more than 2.4 billion people at risk of being exposed to excessive heat while on the job.
The International Labour Organization, a U.N. agency, highlighted that climate change is already impacting the safety and health of workers worldwide. Factors such as extreme heat, severe weather, solar UV radiation, and air pollution have led to a significant rise in certain diseases.
Tragically, the report reveals that over 860,000 outdoor workers lose their lives annually due to exposure to air pollution. Additionally, nearly 19,000 individuals die each year from non-melanoma skin cancer caused by exposure to solar UV radiation.
"Occupational safety and health considerations must be integrated into our responses to climate change, encompassing both policies and actions," emphasized Manal Azzi, a lead on occupational safety and health at the ILO.
Sources: ILO Report, ILO Statement
Concerns Rise as Heat-Related Worker Deaths Increase
With average temperatures on the rise, heat illness is becoming a growing safety and health issue for workers worldwide, including in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2021, 36 workers lost their lives due to environmental heat exposure, compared to 56 in 2020.
A recent tragic incident involved a 26-year-old man who tragically suffered fatal heat-related injuries while working in a sugar cane field in Belle Glade, Florida. The Department of Labor revealed that the heat index reached 97 degrees at the time of the incident. The DOL cited the contractor for failing to protect the worker.
OSHA's area director in Fort Lauderdale, Condell Eastmond, expressed sorrow over the young man's death, emphasizing that the employer neglected their responsibility to shield employees from heat exposure, a well-known and increasingly perilous threat.
According to the Department of Labor, environmental heat exposure claimed the lives of 999 U.S. workers between 1992 and 2021, averaging 33 fatalities per year. However, the agency highlighted that the actual numbers of heat-related illnesses, injuries, and fatalities among workers are likely significantly underreported.
