More than 70% of the global workforce is likely to be exposed to climate-change-related health hazards, and existing occupational safety and health (OSH) protections are struggling to keep up with the resulting risks, according to a new report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The ILO’s report, ‘Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate’, says that climate change is already having a serious impact on the safety and health of workers in all regions of the world.

Estimates by the ILO showed that more than 2.4 billion workers (out of a global workforce of 3.4 billion) are likely to be exposed to excessive heat at some point during their work, according to the most recent figures available (2020). When calculated as a share of the global workforce, the proportion has increased from 65.5% to 70.9% since 2000.

Furthermore, estimates show that 18,970 lives and 2.09 million disability-adjusted life years are lost annually due to the 22.87 million occupational injuries, which are attributable to excessive heat. The report also mentions there are 26.2 million people worldwide living with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress.

Numerous health conditions in workers have been linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory illnesses, kidney dysfunction and mental health conditions.

Manal Azzi, OSH Team Lead at the ILO, said, “Occupational safety and health considerations must be become part of our climate change responses – both policies and actions. Working in safe and healthy environments is recognized as one of the ILO’s fundamental principles and rights at work. We must deliver on that commitment in relation to climate change, just as in every other aspect of work.”

The impact includes:

-        1.6 billion workers exposed to UV radiation, with more than 18,960 work-related deaths annually from nonmelanoma skin cancer.

-        1.6 billion likely to be exposed to workplace air pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 work-related deaths among outdoor workers annually.

-        Over 870 million workers in agriculture, likely to be exposed to pesticides, with more than 300,000 deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning annually.

-        15,000 work-related deaths every year due to exposure to parasitic and vector-borne diseases.