A “staggering” number of workers, amounting to more than 70% of the global workforce, are likely to be exposed to health risks from climate change, says a new report from the International Labor Organization (ILO). Health consequences can include cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases while existing occupational safety and health measures struggle to address these risks, the ILO says.
Seven out of ten workers exposed to excessive heat
According to the most recent data available (2020), over 2.4 billion workers (out of a global workforce of 3.4 billion) are potentially exposed to excessive heat at some point in their working activity, with a share that has risen from 65.5 % to 70.9% since 2000, according to data released by the ILO today in Geneva. Additionally, the report estimates that 18,970 lives and 2.09 million “adjusted life years” to disability are lost each year due to 22.87 million workplace injuries attributable to excessive heat.
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The other risks: UV radiation, pollutants, viruses and parasites
Excessive heat, but also ultraviolet radiation, extreme weather events, workplace air pollution, vector-borne diseases and changes in the use of agricultural chemicals: “the dangers of climate change have many proven health effects”, we read in the report. The financial consequences due to lost productivity, business interruption and damage to infrastructure are also notable.
The report specifically estimates that 1.6 billion workers are exposed to UV rays, with more than 18,960 work-related deaths each year due to non-melanoma skin cancers. Furthermore, 26.2 million people worldwide suffer from chronic kidney disease related to workplace heat stress (2020 data).
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The ILO notes that climate change also causes an increased risk of disease caused by vector-borne parasites, viruses and bacteria such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas due to its effects on the size, survival rates and reproduction of populations of vectors, and its broader impact on natural ecosystems and human systems. The ILO estimates that around 15,000 work-related deaths are recorded each year due to exposure to vector-borne parasitic diseases. Furthermore, the models predict a notable expansion of the regions whose climate will be favorable to these diseases.
The importance of adapting laws
The specialized UN agency believes that existing occupational safety and health (OSH) measures are struggling to address the risks arising from climate change. “It is essential that we heed these warnings. Occupational safety and health considerations must be an integral part of our responses to climate change,” he commented Manal AzziHead of the Occupational Safety and Health Team, at the ILO.
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– 2024-04-22 20:00:49
