Warning for governments and companies: “No one should risk physical degradation just to gain their existence”
Workers do work to modernize a tram line in Bucharest, August 13, 2025. Inquam Photos / George Călin
Governments and employers should take urgent measures to protect the health of workers exposed more and more at extreme temperatures, warns the United Nations, according to Reuters.
Climatic changes make the heat waves increasingly and intense, and workers around the world are already feeling the effects on health, the UN agencies said in a “much necessary update” of a report and guide last in 1969.
Labor productivity decreases by 2-3% for each degree above 20 ° C, it is shown in the ratio, and half of the world's population already suffers the negative consequences of the high temperatures.
“It's not just a need for health.”
Health risks include insolation, dehydration, renal dysfunctions and neurological disorders, the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Organization said.
In particular, workers in agriculture, construction and fishing, but also vulnerable populations – children and elderly from developing countries – are exposed to the highest risks, they added.
“Protecting workers from extreme heat is not only a necessity for health, but also an economic necessity,” said the deputy secretary of the OMM, Ko Barrett.
In this context, the UN agencies demanded the development of action against heat, adapted to each region and each sector, developed with workers, employers, unions and experts in public health.
In some countries, the unions have requested the establishment of maximum legal temperatures for work, the measure that the agencies described as an option, but should be adapted according to the context of each region. They also requested the better training of medical staff and intervention teams, as thermal stress is often diagnosed wrong.
The International Labor Organization recently found that over 2.4 billion workers are exposed to excessive heat globally, leading to over 22.85 million work accidents each year.
“No one should risk kidney failure or physical degradation just to gain their existence,” said Rüdiger Krech, interim environmental director, climatic and health changes, in a press conference held before the report is published.
