“Rising Temperatures Lead to Record-High Health Emergencies: What You Need to Know”

Heat-related health emergencies reached record highs last year, affecting more than 70% of workers globally, according to a report released by the United Nations on Monday. The report highlighted that over 2.4 billion people are at risk of being exposed to excessive heat in their workplaces, leading to severe health consequences.

The International Labour Organization, a U.N. agency, emphasized that climate change is already impacting the safety and health of workers worldwide. Excessive heat, extreme weather events, solar UV radiation, and air pollution have contributed to a rise in diseases and fatalities among workers. The report revealed that nearly 19,000 lives are lost annually due to occupational injuries related to excessive heat, with over 26.2 million people suffering from chronic kidney disease due to workplace heat stress.

Furthermore, more than 860,000 outdoor workers die each year from exposure to air pollution, and nearly 19,000 individuals succumb to non-melanoma skin cancer annually due to solar UV radiation exposure. The report underscored the urgent need for integrating occupational safety and health considerations into climate change responses at both policy and action levels.

In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that environmental heat exposure claimed the lives of 36 workers in 2021 and 56 in 2020. A recent tragic incident involved a 26-year-old man who suffered fatal heat-related injuries while working in a sugar cane field in Florida, where the heat index reached 97 degrees. The Department of Labor cited the contractor for failing to protect the worker, highlighting the importance of heat prevention measures in workplaces.

From 1992 to 2021, exposure to environmental heat led to the deaths of 999 U.S. workers, averaging 33 fatalities per year. However, the Department of Labor acknowledged that these statistics likely underestimate the true extent of occupational heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths.

The findings underscore the critical need for prioritizing worker safety and health in the face of escalating climate change impacts. As temperatures continue to rise globally, addressing heat-related risks in workplaces is essential to safeguarding the well-being of workers and preventing further tragedies.