Extreme heat impacts worker health

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May 13, 2022 - Prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures can result in occupational illness and injury, and in some cases, loss of human life. As wildfires, heatwaves, and record-breaking temperatures are becoming more frequent and are occurring in areas not usually accustomed to those types of extreme weather events, threats to worker health and safety are being reassessed. BSI’s experts discuss the rise in life-threatening climate phenomena and why it’s important for businesses to better protect their workforce from extreme weather-related harm and create more diverse disaster preparedness plans.

Millions of U.S. workers are becoming more exposed to unprecedented climate circumstances and the risk of occupational heat exposure has increased. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), exposure to heat accounted for 2,410 worker injuries and illnesses in 2019 and for 43 work-related deaths. The BLS reports this was lower than the high of 61 deaths in 2011 but higher than the number in all but one year from 2012 to 2018.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that 50% to 70% of outdoor heat-related fatalities occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments because the body needs to gradually build a tolerance to the heat over time. But this is very difficult to do when temperatures unexpectedly exceed regional norms, offering workers no chance acclimatize. For example, the 2021 midsummer heat wave across the Pacific Northwest lasted nearly a week and reached a historically high temperature in Seattle of 108 degrees and well over 110 in the Portland, Oregon area.

The rapid onset of these types of temperature swings is something Steve Meyers, BSI’s Southwest Regional Manager, has been tracking for some time. While most organizations already have an established heat-related injury prevention program in place, he says, many are starting to look at the inherent risks associated with climate change as it relates to their workforce. We are seeing a push from OSHA to start a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect employees from heat-related hazards and resulting injuries and illnesses in outdoor and indoor workplaces It is notable that this extends to rising temperatures in both indoor and outdoor work environments.

Currently only three states – California, Minnesota, and Washington – have hazardous heat standards protecting employees, Meyers explains. In 2022, OSHA is working to initiate rules for federal heat standards to better protect the entire U.S. workforce and reduce the number of work hours lost to heat-related injuries.

Additionally, Meyers says attention on other extreme weather events such as intense rainstorms and flooding are also causing their share of worker illness issues. These types of environments often leave vast standing water that can lead to the spread of vector-borne illnesses and health risks associated with microorganisms.