Heat stress is having serious impacts on the safety and health of workers, as they are exposed to higher daily temperatures and more frequent and severe heatwaves. Workers can suffer immediate illnesses such as heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and even death. In the longer term, they can develop serious chronic diseases affecting the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as the kidneys. The number of workers suffering the consequences of excessive heat is alarming, and occupational safety and health protections have struggled to keep up.

While national legislation exists to protect workers from excessive heat, in most cases these provisions are general and do not adequately address the intensifying climate change-related dangers many workers face daily. Some countries are now revising their laws or developing new specific regulations to address heat at work.

This report includes an analysis of national legislation on heat stress from 21 countries across the world, identifying common provisions for workplace-level measures. The report's contents include:

• An overview of heat stress at work
• Global burden of disease from excessive heat at work
• Global and national action on heat stress at work
• Workplace action on heat stress
• Key findings and lessons learned

Authors

• Andreas Flouris, Halshka Graczyk, Balint Nafradi, Natasha Scott and Manal Azzi (eds.)

Download the full report (PDF): ILO_OSH_Heatstress-R15

Also available on the ILO website: Heat at work: Implications for safety and health