2024-04-22 12:51:00
Huge numbers of workers are exposed to a toxic array of health risks associated with global warming. And they are not protected enough by the existing regulations, the UN warned on Monday.
Warming caused by human activities is already having serious consequences for the health and safety of workers around the world, often the first to suffer the most adverse consequences, says the International Labor Organization (ILO) in a report entitled ‘At ensure safety and health at work. in times of climate change’.
‘Huge numbers of workers are already exposed to climate change-related risks in their workplaces, and those numbers are likely to only get worse,’ says the ILO.
The most immediate threat is excessive heat. According to the ILO, almost 71% of the global workforce or 2.4 billion workers are likely to be exposed to excessive heat at one point or another during their work, the organization explains, which is based on data from 2020. Twenty years earlier that, was the proportion 65.5%.
UV rays, pollution, maladies
In addition to excessive heat, farm workers, road workers, construction workers and others who perform heavy labor in particularly hot climates may be exposed to a cocktail of hazards, the report says: UV rays, air pollution, vector-borne diseases (malaria or dengue fever). for example, whose geographical area is affected by global warming) and agrochemical products.
People working in hot indoor environments or poorly ventilated enclosed spaces are also at great risk.
‘No choice’
‘Workers are among the people most exposed to risks from climate change and yet they often have no choice but to continue working, even if conditions are dangerous,’ the report says.
‘It’s a huge problem,’ said Manal Azzi, head of the ILO’s occupational safety and health team, warning that ‘workers are often forgotten when we talk about climate change, and the health impacts are very serious. .
Already about 19,000 deaths per year
Nearly 23 million workplace accidents attributed to excessive heat are reported each year, costing around 19,000 lives per year, according to the ILO.
The report notes that ‘many health problems among workers are linked to climate change, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, kidney dysfunction and mental health problems’.
For example, the ILO estimates that 1.6 billion workers worldwide are exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun each year, with more than 18,960 annual work-related deaths due to non-melanoma skin cancer.
The same number of people are exposed to workplace pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 deaths each year among those who work outdoors.
Pesticides: more than 300,000 deaths per year
In addition, more than 870 million agricultural workers are likely to be exposed to pesticides, and more than 300,000 deaths are attributed to pesticide poisoning each year.
“It is clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health risks for workers,” said Ms Azzi.
‘Fundamental right’
‘It is essential that we go through these warnings. Occupational safety and health must be an integral part of our responses to climate change, whether in terms of policies or actions,’ she argues.
‘Working in a safe and healthy environment is recognized as one of the basic principles and fundamental rights of the ILO at work. We must respect this commitment in the context of climate change, as in all other aspects of the work,’ explains Ms Azzi.
The ILO believes that emerging and increasing climate change risks may force countries to reassess existing legislation or create new regulations and guidance to ensure workers are adequately protected.
/ATS
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