Geneva: Extreme heat is fast becoming one of the biggest threats to workers’ health and livelihoods, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned over the weekend.

According to Philippines News Agency, the new joint report, “Climate Change and Workplace Heat Stress,” underscores the mounting risks as climate change fuels longer, more extreme, and more frequent heatwaves.

The report stresses that workers in agriculture, construction, and fisheries are already suffering the impacts of dangerous temperatures. Vulnerable groups in developing countries, including children, older adults, and low-income communities, face increasing dangers. Dr. Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care, stated, “Heat stress is already harming the health and livelihoods of billions of workers, especially in the most vulnerable communities.”

Drawing on five decades of research, the report highlights how rising temperatures are affecting both health and productivity. The WMO confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with temperatures 1.55 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and daytime highs frequently surpassing 40 °C, even exceeding 50 °C in some areas.

Ko Barrett, WMO Deputy Secretary-General, emphasized that occupational heat stress is a global challenge, not confined to equatorial regions, as demonstrated by recent heatwaves in Europe. He noted, “Protection of workers from extreme heat is not just a health imperative but an economic necessity.”

The report details the reshaping of the work environment due to extreme heat, noting that worker productivity decreases by 2 to 3 percent for each degree above 20°C. Health consequences include heatstroke, dehydration, kidney dysfunction, and neurological disorders. Currently, nearly half of the world’s population is experiencing negative effects from high temperatures.

The WHO and WMO call for urgent occupational heat action plans tailored to industries and regions. Their guidance includes developing targeted occupational heat-health policies, prioritizing protections for vulnerable workers, training stakeholders to recognize and treat heat stress, involving workers and authorities in strategy development, promoting sustainable solutions, and strengthening research and monitoring efforts.

The guidance builds on International Labour Organization (ILO) findings that more than 2.4 billion workers are globally exposed to excessive heat, resulting in over 22.85 million occupational injuries each year.