#ExtremeHeat Is Endangering America's Workers—and Its Economy
"Public Citizen, a Washington, D.C., based consumer rights advocacy group, estimates that extreme heat contributes to between 600 and 2,000 deaths a year, along with 170,000 injuries, making heat one of the three main causes of death and injury in the American #workplace.
In most American states, you can be fined for leaving a dog outside without water or shade."
[Workers don't have such protection].
"Protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat is easy, and in most cases, inexpensive. Requiring employers to provide workers with cool #water and periodic shaded #rest breaks could prevent at least 50,000 injuries and illnesses a year."
“There’s often a perception that people from hot countries are able to deal with hot temperatures. It’s just simply untrue. It’s a racist belief that underpinned slavery that we still see in our agricultural system now.”
https://time.com/6299091/extreme-heat-us-workers-economy/
"California regulations call for high-heat procedures to kick in once temperatures reach 95°F. Washington State was the next to adopt #HeatProtection standards in 2008, followed by Colorado and Oregon in May 2022. Since then, efforts to protect workers elsewhere have been largely stalled.
A federal standard would, of course, apply nationwide. The prospect galvanizes the opposition. "
The truth is, lost productivity from heat is expensive too.
In #Japan, where the work force is aging (and where older people are held in high regard), employers' attitude is very different:
"In a prefab building adjacent to the construction site, an air-conditioned room was cooled to around 18 C, and the workers were free to drop in and take a rest whenever they needed. A water cooler and a freezer full of ice cubes were available nearby, along with other drinks to keep workers hydrated."
In employer-speak: protecting workers from #ExtremeHeat increases their productivity. It's doing nothing that's expensive.
"As temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, overall #productivity decreases by about a quarter, and when temperatures top 100 degrees, productivity drops off a cliff, plummeting by an incredible 70 percent."
"Delivery workers are the canaries in the coal mine on the intertwined issues of #ExtremeHeat and #AirPollution. In the coming years, many other sectors—construction, fishing, roofing, farming, landscaping, professional sports, and so on—will be affected by workers’ struggle to stay safe in extremely hot weather and toxic air."
The workers must organise.
The pandemic has shown what we really think of "essential workers"
https://newrepublic.com/article/174946/outdoor-workers-climate-victims-labor-rights
A package of measures to protect workers from #heat:
– make drinking #water more accessible.
– increased #inspections of potentially dangerous workplaces such as farms and construction sites
– heightened #enforcement of #HeatSafety violations.
– hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from #ExtremeHeat
Plus OSHA is working on workplace heat protection.
https://apnews.com/article/biden-extreme-heat-climate-change-osha-d24be7fe0c7bb79bede655db10fe2e00
With heat waves spreading across the United States, President Joe Biden has announced new steps to protect workers, improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible. These actions come as as nearly 40% of the U.S. population faces heat advisories. High temperatures have already scorched the Southwest this month, and more heat is expected in the Midwest and the Northeast in the coming days. Biden directed the Labor Department to increase inspections of potentially dangerous workplaces such as farms and construction sites and called for heightened enforcement of heat safety violations. The department will issue a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat.
"Business groups and lobbyists have aggressively opposed efforts at state and federal levels to enact #HeaProtection standards for #workers.
#FarmWorkers and advocacy groups are also pushing to include heat protections for farm workers in the 2023 farm bill currently being considered by Congress. But with Republicans in control of Congress, such a measure is unlikely to pass."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/31/heat-protections-workers-big-business-lobbies
"A #Texas #UPS driver fell ill while working during a scorching #heatwave and later died."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ups-driver-dies-days-after-working-in-heat/
"As temperatures rise further, pay and performance practices currently favoured in some sectors - for example piece work and output targets that discourage workers from taking rest breaks - may prove indefensible. And if an extreme weather event like a tornado destroys a factory, should workers still get paid?"
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/climate-change-adds-workplace-costs-hazards-2023-09-07/
As Texas baked in this summer's record temperatures, local UPS driver Chris Begley started feeling unwell before collapsing at a customer's premises. The 57-year-old's death in hospital was announced in late August - just as his trade union was ratifying a deal with UPS on improved heat protections.
Workers are dying from #ExtremeHeat. Why aren’t there laws to protect them?
Spoiler: because employers put profit before the people who bring in the profit.
"The campaign was straight from a playbook that industry groups across the country have deployed to fight worker #HeatProtections in recent years: claiming that regulations already address heat illness, businesses already protect workers, and that a one-size-fits-all approach will be costly and ineffective. "
https://grist.org/accountability/outdoor-worker-extreme-heat-protections-labor-law-osha/
"As the climate warms and the threat of #ExtremeHeat spreads, #California is poised to protect people who work in poorly ventilated warehouses, steamy restaurant kitchens, and other indoor job sites where temperatures can soar to potentially dangerous levels. The state has had heat standards on the books for outdoor workers since 2005, and indoor workplaces are next."
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/26/climate/california-heat-worker-protections-climate/index.html
Extreme heat due to #ClimateChange causes a significant number of "work hours lost", leading to cuts in GDP.
Projections for #China
https://phys.org/news/2023-12-future-labor-losses-due-stress.html
Climate change is the biggest global health threat in the 21st century, and the rising temperatures have undermined the health and safety of the working population, as well as caused labor losses, which are closely tied to social-economic development. Although the future temperatures increase in China has been forecasted by state-of-the-art climate change projections, to what extent the influence on labor has not been well studied.
A 10-minute break every two hours during the hottest part of the year.
The right to cool down in the shade at signs of heat illness.
The farm must provide clean water, shaded rest areas and nearby bathrooms for all of its workers.
"These are the strongest set of workplace #heat protections in the United States. They were not put in place by local, state or federal regulators, but by the workers who spent years organizing to push companies to adopt them."
The crucial ingredient:
"The buyers agree to pay a small premium for produce from farms where workers are protected and blacklist farms that get kicked out of the program. In exchange, they can tout their ethical practices, a selling point with a growing number of consumers worried about who produces their food."
#Florida Legislators Ban Local Heat Protections for Millions of Outdoor Workers
"The measure prohibits local governments from establishing heat protections for outdoor workers. It comes after Miami-Dade County considered a proposal last year that would have compelled construction and agriculture companies to provide water and rest breaks when the #HeatIndex there rises to 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
The new state legislation preempts any such local provisions."
Positive and welcome change!
May this ordinance be copied everywhere.
#Phoenix passes landmark rule requiring #HeatProtection for outdoor workers
"Unanimously passed ordinance makes employers give contractors access to rest, shade, water and air conditioning in hottest US city.
The rule applies to city contractors and their subcontractors who work outdoors, including construction and airport workers."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/27/phoenix-workers-heat-protection-law
"In a bill #DeSantis signed Thursday, #Florida, one of the hottest states in the country, local governments will be banned from requiring heat and water breaks for #OutdoorWorkers.
It was a direct response to Miami-Dade County's effort to require shade and water for construction, farm and other outdoor workers."
Florida is seeing two more recent instances of state government under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis limiting the powers of local government with newly signed bills that deal with worker safety and police oversight.
"More than 70% of workers around the world face #ClimateChange-related health risks."
• 18,970 lives are lost each year due to occupational injuries attributable to excessive heat;
• 26.2 million people with chronic kidney disease related to workplace heat stress;
• 860,000 outdoor workers a year die from exposure to air pollution;
• 19,000 people die each year from non-melanoma skin cancer from exposure to solar UV radiation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/climate-change-earth-day-2024-un-worker-health-risk/
Plus:
• more than 300,000 deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning annually
• 15,000 work-related deaths every year due to exposure to parasitic and vector-borne diseases
All this is why the International Labour Organization calls for occupational safety and health considerations to be become part of our climate-change responses
The world’s #GarmentWorkers are on the frontlines of climate impacts
To expose how #ClimateChange is impacting workers throughout #fashion’s supply chain, The Fuller Project tracked products from several brands — including Walmart, Primark, H&M, Gap, and Old Navy — across several countries. At each stage, women play a vital role in the global business of fashion yet their livelihoods — and lives — are being increasingly threatened by #ExtremeWeather."
https://grist.org/labor/the-worlds-garment-workers-are-on-the-frontlines-of-climate-impacts/
"In 2021, after years of worker activism on the issue, OSHA began the process of developing a ruling on a #heat workplace standard, with the aim to reduce heat-related injuries and death on the job.
Historically, some employers and business groups have opposed a mandatory #HeatStandard and have lobbied against it in the past. And if Donald Trump wins the presidency, it would likely upend the standard entirely."
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/356217/osha-federal-workplace-heat-standard-protections
"Yesterday, #California regulators voted to establish #heat protections for indoor workers for the first time.
#Florida proactively passed legislation that would block any future local #HeatProtections for workers, and #Texas passed a law to eliminate the bare minimum form of protection, mandated water breaks for construction workers.
Most states, though, simply have no laws on the books to address the risk of work-related heat illness."
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/06/heat-working-heat-stress-death/678758/
"In California, employers will soon have to provide water and air conditioned areas for workers when temperatures inside warehouses rise above 82 degrees. When it goes above 87, workers will get shorter shifts and personal cooling fans.
In Florida, when a 95-degree sun bears down on farmworkers, local governments are actually prohibited from making employers supply water or a break in the shade."
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/03/florida-california-heat-protections-workers-00166374
"The report for the first time included data on heat-related workplace deaths: 986 workers died from exposure to heat in the US between 1992 and 2022, it found, more than one-third of them in the construction sector alone. "
Unsurprisingly:
"Powerful industry groups are already working to limit the reach of a rule they view as burdensome, redundant and expensive.
Even if a Democrat wins the White House, other hurdles remain. Emboldened by recent decisions chipping away at the federal government’s authority to address climate change and worker safety, Republican attorneys general would probably take the heat rules to court."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/07/08/biden-heat-labor-rules-osha-map/
#OSHA #HeatRule #ExtremeHeat
US workers, not waiting for OSHA to establish heat rules, launch #HeatWeek to fight for ‘the right to water, shade and rest’
"In probably the hottest summer ever, workers are organizing in 13 cities to raise alarm about workplace #HeatExposure.
On Thursday, workers and allies from across sectors will take a coordinated drink of water in a display of solidarity aimed at showing the importance of workplace heat safety."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/13/workers-protections-heat-week
"Lopez was thirsty, overheating, and unable to continue lugging plant pots as the heat index topped 100F (38C). She could barely see straight, but employers are not required to give outdoor workers regular breaks or access to shade, and Lopez said she was reprimanded for taking a short rest."
"On Tuesday, service workers rallied at major airports in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Phoenix. They called for immediate action from employers to ensure their safety in the workplace, including adequate breaks and access to drinking water during periods of #ExtremHeat."
https://grist.org/extreme-heat/heat-week-workers-rally-extreme-heat-protection/
#HeatWeek
"The impact of a shift to nighttime hours is an understudied piece of the puzzle of how #ClimateChange and rising temperatures threaten the world’s food supply and its workforce. But for many experts, and those on the front lines, one thing is clear: Overnight work is far from a straightforward solution."
https://grist.org/food-and-agriculture/overnight-work-extreme-heat-adaptation-agriculture/
‘I feel dizzy but I can’t stop’: global heating is already making kiln workers’ lives unbearable. And it will only get worse
"#India is the world’s second-largest #brick producer, after China. The sector is not organised and is under-regulated. It offers seasonal employment to informal workers, mostly migrants, and often sees cases of bonded labour."
"#Florida banned local governments from providing increased oversight for #workers exposed to high temperatures earlier this year, saying businesses and federal regulators alone could keep laborers safe.
The Times found that Florida companies have failed to report the vast majority of #heat fatalities as required.
The vast majority were people of color. At least half were immigrants."
From Zara to Nike, H&M, and Levi’s, garment makers feel the heat under EU sustainability laws
"New #EuropeanUnion regulations make retailers selling in the bloc, like Inditex, H&M, and Nike, legally liable for conditions at their suppliers, putting pressure on them to help fund improvements to cool factories they source from."
A new report reveals garment workers in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Pakistan face increasing extreme heat due to climate change. New EU regulations hold retailers accountable, pushing them to fund factory cooling improvements. Only a few brands currently have heat safety protocols, but experts stress the urgency for broader action to protect workers and prevent economic losses.
"Something that may “change the industry’s calculus,” the brief said, is the arrival of legal liability for supply chain malfeasance in the form of the European Union’s corporate sustainability due diligence directive, or #CSDDD—even if the much-watered down version that made it through the legislative ring of fire will apply only to a tiny fraction of the firms operating in the 27-nation bloc when it enters into force circa 2026."
"Across Tamil Nadu’s garment factories, women are increasingly reporting heat-related health complications. As climate change pushes temperatures beyond safe limits, factory floors are becoming hazardous."
From July 7:
"Authorities in Greece imposed mandatory work breaks on Monday in parts of the country where temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 F), with the heat wave forecast to last through Thursday.
The labor ministry ordered the work stoppage, in effect from midday to 5:00 p.m. for outdoor manual labor and food delivery services, primarily in central Greece and on several islands. Employers were also asked to offer remote work options."
https://apnews.com/article/greece-heat-wave-summer-work-breaks-20fc6912059b8f0d122d6100430bbe15
Authorities in Greece have imposed mandatory work breaks in areas where temperatures are expected to exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The labor ministry announced on Monday that outdoor manual labor and food delivery services must stop from midday to 5 p.m. in central Greece and several islands. Employers have also been urged to offer remote work options. No emergency measures have been implemented in Athens, as the heat wave is not considered unusual. Officials say they are addressing climate change impacts with long-term measures, including deploying a record number of firefighters this summer. The heat wave is forecast to last through Thursday.
Japan:
"Employers are now required to ensure employees wear clothing that allows air to pass through easily, to install a ceiling to block sunlight and to provide a break space with air-conditioning or shade.
At an apartment construction site in Tokyo, where temperatures exceeded 35 C (95 degrees F) for the first time this year on Monday, workers for Daito Trust Construction donned puffy air-conditioned jackets equipped with cooling fans on their backs while at work."
WMO, WHO:
• Worker productivity drops by 2–3% for every degree above 20°C.
• Health risks include heatstroke, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, and neurological disorders, all of which hinder long-term health and economic security.
"To tackle these challenges, the report calls for the implementation of occupational heat action plans, tailored to specific industries and regions, and developed in collaboration with employers, workers, unions, and public health experts."
The WHO and WMO have released a comprehensive technical report and guidance addressing the escalating global health and economic risks posed by extreme heat, particularly in the workplace. This guidance builds on five decades of research and responds to the record-breaking temperatures of recent years, with 2023 being the hottest year on record.
"Around the world, more than 2.4 billion workers are exposed to workplace heat stress, according to the International Labor Organization. Those especially at risk are workers in agriculture, construction, and other physically demanding sectors, the report says."
“No one should have to risk kidney failure or collapse just to earn their living.”
"Climate-Driven Health Risks Could Cost the Global Economy at Least $1.5 Trillion in Lost Productivity by 2050 Across Food and Agriculture, Built Environment, and Health and Health Care, New World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group Report Finds.
The Report Sets out Adaptation Priorities for Four Critical Economic Sectors, Urging Companies to Act Now to Protect Worker Health and Build Operational Resilience."
Migrant workers everywhere are most vulnerable to abuse, including preventable health risks from heat at the workplace.
Nepal:
"Migrant workers return from Gulf countries with failed kidneys, victims of extreme temperatures, grueling labor, and a global system that leaves them unprotected."
https://inthesetimes.com/article/rising-heat-failing-kidneys-climates-hidden-toll-on-migrant-workers
"The Australian union movement has launched a formal push for national safety regulations to protect workers from extreme heat, warning that the current lack of enforceable standards is putting lives at risk as climate change intensifies.
The union movement also extended its advocacy to housing standards, noting that many workers – particularly renters – return from shifts to homes that cannot maintain safe temperatures."
CelloMom On Cars
