Design Highlights
- Over 70% of the global workforce is at risk from excessive heat, highlighting a critical failure in worker safety protections.
- Nearly 23 million workplace injuries each year are linked to excessive heat, indicating inadequate measures to safeguard workers.
- Workers’ compensation systems struggle to provide support for heat-related injuries, leaving many vulnerable employees without necessary assistance.
- Climate change intensifies heat exposure, increasing the risk of fatalities and health issues among workers in high-temperature industries.
- Productivity losses due to heat stress, especially in construction, demonstrate the economic impact of failing to protect workers from extreme temperatures.
When it comes to working in high temperatures, one has to wonder—what could possibly go wrong? A staggering 2.4 billion workers are exposed to excessive heat globally. Yes, billion with a ‘B.’ That’s over 70% of the global workforce at risk from severe heat.
In Africa, almost 93% of workers are sweating it out, while over 83% of those in the Arabian Peninsula are feeling the burn. Meanwhile, Europe and Central Asia have seen a 17% increase in heat risk since 2020. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it’s a full-blown crisis.
The numbers get uglier. Each year, nearly 23 million workplace injuries can be traced back to excessive heat. That’s right—22.85 million injuries and counting. A whopping 35% of workers who regularly face heat exposure experience heat-related illnesses. Over 30% of workers report productivity losses under heat stress conditions.
Each year, excessive heat is responsible for nearly 23 million workplace injuries and 35% of exposed workers suffer heat-related illnesses.
And in the U.S., about 28,000 injuries per year are linked to those hot, sultry days. But don’t worry; that number is likely an underestimate. Isn’t that comforting?
Fatalities? Oh, they’re real too. From 2011 to 2022, 479 workers died from heat exposure in the U.S. alone. That’s an average of 40 workers each year, and we’re talking about nearly 1,000 deaths between 2011 and 2020. It’s chilling to think that heatwaves could claim 1.6 million lives by 2050.
Construction workers are especially vulnerable, accounting for 34% of heat-related deaths from 1992 to 2022. It’s not just passing out; it’s heat strokes and outright fatalities. Talk about an invisible killer.
Health effects are equally grim. Hyperthermia, dehydration, and kidney dysfunction are just the tip of the iceberg. A staggering 26.2 million people live with chronic kidney disease due to workplace heat stress. Climate change contributes to increased prevalence of heat-related issues in the workforce, exacerbating these challenges. When these heat-related injuries occur, workers’ compensation insurance is supposed to provide medical care and wage replacement, yet many workers still face barriers to accessing these critical benefits.
And let’s not forget about productivity. Each degree above 20°C leads to a 2-3% productivity drop. In construction, that loss can skyrocket to nearly 41%. By 2030, it’s projected that 80 million full-time working hours will vanish yearly.
