June 2024 International Blog – Health & Safety Amidst Heatwaves
Euro 2024 Football – feeling the heat
Fans of the UEFA European Football Championship are, of course, looking forward to some great soccer this summer – but did they spot the weather warnings?
Here in the UK, our Met Office is suggesting that the hottest day of the year so far could see temperatures nudging 30°C when England play their opening fixture in Germany.
England fans watching in pubs, houses, gardens, etc. may find that beads of perspiration are due to more than just anxiety about their team’s performance…
Maintaining a core body temperature of around 37°C is essential for continued normal body function.
If the body temperature rises above 38°C, physical and cognitive functions are impaired. If it rises above 40.6°C, the risk of organ damage, loss of consciousness and, ultimately, death increases sharply.
This got me to thinking about my good colleague Derek McStea’s blog from nearly a year ago: Employers ‘Duty of Care’ During a Heatwave – which predicted a similar record-breaking June 2023.
The blog gave, as ever, sound advice on how to keep employees healthy and safe during hot weather – but what is life going to be like in less temperate climates than the UK?
Cocktail of health hazards for 2.4 billion workers
A new report from the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that climate change is already having a serious impact on the health and safety of a “staggering” number of workers in all parts of the world.
It estimates that more than 70 per cent of the world’s 3.4 billion workers are likely to be exposed to excessive heat at some point during their work.
Almost 19,000 lives are lost each year due to workplace heat stress.
It is also responsible for 22.87 million occupational injuries and 26.2 million people worldwide living with chronic kidney disease.
Climate impacts go further than just heat stress, the report adds.
Agricultural workers and heavy labourers in hot climates are exposed to a “cocktail of hazards”.
This includes 1.6 billion people exposed to UV radiation with more than 18,960 work-related deaths a year from non-melanoma skin cancer.
Workplace air pollution also impacts 1.6 billion people resulting in up to 860,000 deaths among outdoor workers each year.
Coming your way
- At least five people died while working in July’s brutal heatwave in Italy last year (the real death toll is likely much higher).
- After a street cleaner died from heatstroke in Madrid in 2021, Spain moved to ban some outdoor work during extreme heat.
- Last year, Greece also placed a ban on working in construction and delivery during the hottest hours of the day.
- India, currently reporting a heatwave where temperatures in the capital Delhi have exceeded 53°C, has 90 per cent of its labour force engaged in the informal sector. These workers perform outdoor jobs that involve physically demanding tasks in agriculture, construction, brick kilns, and other similar fields, facing significant risks due to heat stress, given their frequent exposure to extreme heat at work.
- Ancient trees reveal that last summer was the hottest in 2,000 years – by nearly 4°C.
Trade unions too have been calling for paid leave for staff when there are intense periods of heat.
Heat Health Action Plans
In an effort to better understand evolving governance around heat and health, the Global Heat Health Information Network, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and HIGH Horizons Project, is calling for submissions of Heat Health Action Plans, National Health Adaptation Plans and related governance documents containing heat health components from around the world.
Long term considerations
Arinite’s Employers ‘Duty of Care’ During a Heatwave blog gives advice on how to keep workers safe in the here-and-now.
For the longer term, businesses need to consider heat stress in their strategic plans, especially when employing workers in hot countries (even indirectly through the supply chain).
The WHO Global Heat Health Information Network also suggests the following “heat action elements” on its Take Action page:
- Inter-sectoral coordination
- Heat health early warning and alert systems
- Communications and public outreach
- Reduction in indoor heat exposure
- Special care for vulnerable people
- Preparedness of the health and social care systems
- Long-term urban planning
- Real-time surveillance
- Evaluation
Arinite clients appreciate we provide practical, no-nonsense advice about what you need to do to establish and maintain a safe and healthy working environment.
Our team of health and safety consultants take pride in keeping health and safety simple.
If you need to call upon our expert assistance, or just for an informal chat, please call our office +44 (0) 207 947 9581, or type an enquiry to: https://www.arinite.com/contact-us/.
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