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<\/div>\nGovernments and employers should take urgent action to help protect the health of workers who are increasingly exposed to extreme heat, the United Nations said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Climate change is making heatwaves more common and intense, and workers worldwide are already experiencing the health impacts, the agencies said in what they described as a \u201cmuch needed\u201d major update of a report and guidance<\/a> last published in 1969.<\/p>\n Worker productivity drops by 2-3% for every degree above 20\u00b0C, the report said, with half of the world\u2019s population already suffering the adverse consequences of high temperatures.<\/p>\n The health risks include heatstroke, dehydration, kidney dysfunction and neurological disorders, said the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Association.<\/p>\n Manual workers in sectors like agriculture, construction and fisheries, as well as vulnerable populations like children and older adults in developing countries, were particularly at risk, they added.<\/p>\n \u201cProtection of workers from extreme heat is not just a health imperative but an economic necessity,\u201d said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett.<\/p>\n In response, the agencies called for heat action plans tailored to regions and industries, developed alongside workers, employers, unions and public health experts.<\/p>\n Unions in some countries have pushed for maximum legal working temperatures, for example, which the agencies said was an option but would likely differ globally depending on the context<\/a>.<\/p>\n They also called for better education for health workers and first responders, as heat stress is often misdiagnosed.<\/p>\n The International Labour Organization recently found that more than 2.4 billion workers are exposed to excessive heat globally, resulting in more than 22.85 million occupational injuries each year.<\/p>\n \u201cNo-one should have to risk kidney failure or collapse just to earn a living,\u201d said R\u00fcdiger Krech, director ad interim for environment, climate change and health at the WHO, at a press conference ahead of the report\u2019s release.<\/p>\n (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; editing by Hugh Lawson)<\/p>\n Photo: Generated with AI, AdobeStock<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n Was this article valuable?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n