How to protect employees from heat and other climatic ends

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The last month’s heat wave affecting great portions of the east, Midwest and South United States -illustrated regions in real time, the danger that the climate ends are to the workers.

At least two deaths for workers were attributed to the heat in June, CBS News reportedIncluding an outdoor worker in Atlanta and a mail carrier in Dallas. Between 2011 and 2022, an average of 40 American workers a year died by exposure to heat at work and the heat is kept The main cause of the country’s death Among all dangerous weather conditions, according to the Administration of Occupational Health and Safety.

In addition, a changing global climate is expected Increases the frequency and intensity Of certain extreme weather events such as heat waves, according to the intergovernmental group of the recent reference report of climate change that summarizes the state of knowledge of climate change.

Despite the scientific consensus on the subject, entrepreneurs may not understand the link between climate change and extreme weather events, said Kristina Dahl, Vice President of Central non -profit climate sciences, partly due to the variability of everyday life in weather conditions.

“An entrepreneur who operates a farm for 20 years could say,” Sure, it is hot today, but we have always had hot days in summer, “and to some extent, this is true,” said Dahl. “But they are becoming more and more frequent and more severe. Not always what you can attribute to climate change and what has happened naturally.”

However, many organizations take precautions to protect workers from heat and other environmental factors, he added. In a series of interviews, occupational health experts, the right of employment and the climate sciences told RRHH Dive how entrepreneurs can develop these plans.

There is more to overcome the heat than to keep it fresh

There is a long list of items to take into account employers when it comes to environmental heat precautions. Jessica Martinez, Executive Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a workers’ defense group, said in an email that at least entrepreneurs should guarantee:

• Clean and drinking drinking water
• Access to rest and shaded or refrigerated areas
• Pauses paid at regular intervals with flexibility during high heat
• Clear protocols to identify heat disease and heat stress symptoms and the lover of symptoms
• Modified work schedules during extreme heat periods, especially for new workers or returned
• Access to language security training that workers speak

A A good handful of states Thermal safety standards have adopted coverage of different workers’ segments and Osha regulators continue to push for the implementation of a Federal heat standard Initially proposed by the administration of Biden. But entrepreneurs have the opportunity to implement protection measures regardless of whether they have the legal obligation to do it, Dahl said.

For example, Dahl said he has seen construction companies in states without heat standards that prevent roof work during the hottest summer months, while others set work schedules so that employees do not have to work at the hottest hours of the day.

“What the evidence suggests is that most heat or death diseases can be avoided with enough water, shade and rest,” said Dahl, quoting a Report 2021 He was co -authored during his term as a climate scientist at the Union of interested scientists. The report found that measures such as the adjustment of working hours in the coldest periods and the modification of the work required by a moderate physical effort for the light of physical effort “significantly improved the amount of time and lost salaries for outdoor workers,” said Dahl.

Any method adopted by an employer to prevent and deal with heat disease should develop a written plan, according to Guidance published by agencies like Osha – And make sure that employees are trained in the plan to understand it, said Kaiser Chowdhry, a member of Morgan Lewis.

It may be difficult to formulate a unique approach to size, he added, given the differences in the needs of the individual workplace. But by the end of the day, “your obligation as an entrepreneur is to protect your employees,” said Chowdhry. He said that entrepreneurs could consider going further and beyond some good practices and recommendations on articles, such as how often employees can make breaks to ensure that they are protected as much as possible.

Employees’ prospects are crucial

Entrepreneurs should allow workers to take leadership in security and security planning, “because workers know the better job and understand what works,” said Martinez. He added that heat -related diseases should be considered as “systemic failures that require collective and preventive actions” instead of individual incidents.

To that end, Martinez said that entrepreneurs should consider access to spaces where people may consider concerns and propose policy changes, such as workers’-led security committees. He pointed to human resources, to normalize and reward the reports of things such as the dangers and symptoms of heat -related disease.

“A job that does not recommend the reports is one where suffering is hidden and this is not sustainable for anyone,” said Martinez.

DAHL similarly recommended involving groups of workers directly in the planning process. Stated SteelWorkers’ United United Casethat has defended the inclusion of protections in contracts, including shields that absorb heat, hot surface insulation and ventilation systems to protect workers from heat and dangers in the air.

Climate plans must take into account several risks

Apart from heat, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of other extreme weather events, including wildfires, hurricanes and floods, according to the IPCC report. Entrepreneurs can educate their forces on climate issues and include instructions on how employees can protect themselves and their health in each given scenario, said Ellen Kelsay, president and delegate councilor for the Health Business Group, in an email.

“Already, in some locations that are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, some entrepreneurs offer protective kits, which contain articles such as air filtration systems, facial masks and water filters,” he continued. “Other approaches include employers who make up support groups, provide mental health services to the needy and provide support for displaced people.”

Following the Hurricane season at Atlantic 2024, sources who previously talked to RRHH Dive recommended having plans in their site to register quickly with potentially affected employees and ensure that they are ready to evacuate Or look for emergency support, if needed.

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“The solution is not more corporate well -being programs. It is a real and required protection.”

Jessica Martinez

Executive Director of the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health

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In the same way, in the Following the forest fires of 2023 In the United States and Canada, the National Cosh recommended employees and employers regularly supervising the reports of the air quality air quality air quality index. The organization also advised companies to take precautions in the event of risk risk elevations related to air quality, such as the reprogramming of expected work, especially outdoor work, and the installation of ventilation systems and air filters to eliminate smoke particles.

Kelsay said that organizations can also be more widely committed to corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability, for example, reducing carbon footprint, changing to renewable energy sources and creating green spaces and shaded areas for outdoor workers.

An emerging issue, however, is that human resources leaders may not understand the need to be present in security, risk management and sustainability discussions, said Tracy Watts, a senior partner and the National U.S. Health Policy leader at the mercer consultancy firm.

“This is a type of step # 1,” Watts said: “Just be part of the discussion and part of the team so that your organization is thinking of these weather disasters very holistic.”

Entrepreneurs can formulate a broad climate risk plan, first evaluating which disasters their work forces are more at risk of finding, he continued. From there, the plans should cover each stage of the process, including before, during and after a disaster, and what processes of communication and emergency resources are available at each step.

The HR also should understand that, although climate risk mitigation can be reduced in the business line, employee safety must be raised above these concerns, Martinez said. He added that human resources teams play a central role in not only ensuring that protections are applied, but also in defending a paid leave and other solutions that may provide necessary assistance.

“The problem is not just the heat, it is the structure that prioritizes the benefits at all costs,” said Martinez. “When production goals are valued more than people’s lives, workers are pushed to follow in dangerous conditions. The solution is not more corporate well -being programs. It is real and demandable protection.”