Recommendations for health and safety amidst heatwaves

Climate change is heavily impacting workers in many ways including illnesses, injuries and fatalities. It manifests through extreme weather events including excessive heat and exposure to UV radiation, exacerbated air pollution, and rising disease rates. Each of these hazards while distinct, are also intertwined creating a hazardous cocktail. This underscores the multifaceted challenge where climate change intersects with health, workplace safety, and social justice, fundamentally affecting human rights. Currently, Bangladesh is facing an extended heatwave, some areas have experienced the hottest days on record. 

Effective interventions to prevent heat stress:[1]

Take regular breaks in cooler areas that provide a shade from direct sunshine to reduce the risk of hyperthermia. Regular breaks in cool, shaded areas slow down the build-up of heat in the body from prolonged work activity. This is especially effective for workers in agriculture and tourism. 

Hydration – Taking 750ml of water every hour of work in the heat has been found to be the single most important and feasible strategy of reducing heat stress.  

Mechanization - Can enhance labour productivity without increasing heat strain. 

Clothing - Loose, light-coloured, breathable work overalls have been shown to reduce occupational heat strain in agricultural workers by 0.4°C. Using a bandana soaked in cool water has been shown to be a very effective option to cool down and reduce heat-related illness.

Policy areas and institutional arrangements to address the challenges of heat stress:[2]

• Consider ratifying and implementing relevant international labour standards (i.e. C.155 and C.187)[3] in order to ensure decent working conditions for workers and businesses affected by heat stress.
• Governments should adopt regulations laying down maximum temperatures to which workers may be exposed at work and provide for specific measures to protect workers from high temperatures.
• Infrastructure-related measures, such as building standards, should be adopted to enhance ventilation indoors thus protect workers.
• The fact that heat stress is a driver of migration needs to be recognized in regulatory frameworks established to ensure safe migration while implementing climate change mitigation and adaption strategies.
• Social protection systems, including the provision of social insurance and social assistance, can help workers and their families to adapt to the consequences of heat stress.

• Whether at the level of individual companies, economic sectors or the country as a whole, social dialogue, as a key part of the institutional framework for policymaking and policy implementation, can ensure that the impact of heat stress on working conditions is addressed effectively.

   

[1] Ensuring Safety and Health at Work in a Changing Climate: Global Report

[2] Working on a warmer planet: The impact of heat stress on labour productivity and decent work (ilo.org)

[3] C.155 – Occupational Safety and Health Convention, C.187 – Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health