Alahmad B, Flouris AD, Schlader ZJ, Berry J, Amorim F, Venugopal V, Lucas RAI, Prince HJ, Wegman DH, Glaser J. Roadmap to effective and attainable workplace heat standards in the USA and beyond. Occup Environ Med. 2024 Dec 22;81(11):543-544. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2024-109735. PMID: 39406485.
2023 was the hottest year on record; 2024 is set to be even hotter. The rise in climate change-driven occupational heat stress is putting the health and livelihoods of workers at grave risk.The number of workers suffering the consequences of excessive heat is alarming. An International Labor Organization (ILO) report in 2024 has shown that at least 71% of the global working population are exposed to excessive heat leading to almost 23 million injuries and 19 000 deaths every year. Another 2024 ILO report has shown that workers in Africa (92.9%), the Middle East (83.6%) and Asia and the Pacific (74.7%) were the most exposed to excessive heat. Meanwhile, the Americas and Europe have experienced the steepest increases in heat-related workplace injuries since 2000 with a rise of 33.3% and 16.4%, respectively. 4 Recent reports of regulatory violations and media stories have highlighted the preventable loss of life due to hazardous heat exposure while at work across various regions previously unaccustomed to this level of heat.….
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