Workers Need Better Protections From the Heat

An anonymous reader shares a report: Expect record-breaking temperatures to change the workplace, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned today in a new report. When workers don't have adequate protections from heat stress, their health and productivity suffer.

It's a risk employers and lawmakers have to take more seriously if they want to keep workers safe and businesses prosperous, the agencies say. That means finding ways to adapt in a warming world, and paying close attention to groups that might be more vulnerable than others.

[...] More than 2.4 billion people around the world -- 71 percent of the working population -- experience workplace heat stress, according to estimates from the ILO. Each year, 22.85 million occupational injuries and 18,970 fatalities are linked to excessive heat at work. The report also says that worker productivity falls 2-3 percent with every degree increase above 20 degrees Celsius in wet-bulb globe temperature, a measure that takes humidity and other environmental factors into account.

Need an union for that!

[Joe_Dragon]

Need an union for that!

Wet towel

[flyingfsck]

People overheat because they are to ignorant to put a wet towel around their neck, which can keep their t-shirt wet for several hours.

Re:

[Stormthirst]

People overheat because they ignorantly believe that oil companies have their best interests at heart, even though they've know for over 50 years that climate change is real.

FTFY

My recommendation: suicide

[_gladius_]

For those who are sweating bullets worrying what to do about imaginary boogeymen like "global warmings", and who are now experiencing "overheating" in summer due to the placebo effect and a fevered imagination--my recommendation is suicide. After all, you are releasing CO2 with every breath, thus polluting the planet. Do the right thing: visit your local suicide booth today.

Too late in Texas

[smooth wombat]

In 2023 Texas Republicans removed the mandate that companies must provide breaks [npr.org] for workers in high heat situations.

I believe a few other red states did the same thing, or were at least considering it. After all, when they're sitting in their a/c offices, what do they care about the guy working on the roof in 105 F temperatures?

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

I listened to the same NPR story. The legislators in Texas seem like cold hearted bastards imho. A minimum of 5 minutes per hour of shade, lots of ice water, whatever else is needed should be a minimum. Some paid sick days should be provided too. That seems cheaper than the cost of the ambulances and emergency room visits. Unfettered Capitalism strikes again!

Re:

[arglebargle_xiv]

Ambulance and emergency room? When you're employing illegals to do the work you don't have to worry about medical care, you just slot someone else into the recently-vacated position. One of the many nasty side-effects of the use of illegals for labour, you don't need labour-protection laws when the labour is technically invisible.

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

I see circles. Capitalists want to exploit "illegals". They (MAGAs) want to get rid of them. How can I reconcile this?

Re:

[_gladius_]

Hot day = global warming, obviously

Cold day = "climate isn't weather, dumbass"

Re:

[nevermindme]

What really happened was the state of Texas took their power back in regulating the workplace across all issues. No company wants to kill its workers in the heat, you got to retrain their replacements and the other workers ask for days off.... better to tell the customer it costs more on 112F days and to show up for the AC repairman at midnight.

Re:

[evil_aaronm]

There's a reason we don't give some states powers like this: because they abuse the powerless. We've seen it in voting, slavery, marriage equality, and women's rights, among other social issues. Your scenario - don't kill workers - is a nice ideal, but in manual labor, the number of hands means more than the skill of hands, so if one worker dies, they can find another. Hell, they'll grab one from a prison, if necessary. And they'll put more hands in prison just so they can have a supply to tap.

So "Tex

Re:

[dsgrntlxmply]

A tale of two trade shows. Supercomm Dallas, maybe 1996. No air conditioning in the main hall of the convention center during load-in and setup. It was over 110F inside. I saw people pass out. Design Automation Conference, Las Vegas 1980s. Union shop. It was necessary to ask before doing some physical booth work, but the drayage and setup people moved rapidly and safely, the air conditioning was on, and nobody was passing out.

lol air conditioning is far right

[hjf]

Since the french "right" proposed cooling government buildings and schools in France, the left is, of course, opposing it. They claim air conditioning is "far right".

https://www.liberation.fr/idee... [liberation.fr]

AC penetration in France is very small, only 7% of french houses have one. The mortality rates in Europe soar over 150% during heat waves.

Re:

[flyingfsck]

The left is never right.

Makes no sense under anarcho-capitalism

[OrangeTide]

Employment should be a free market! Jobs should go to who will work for the least amount of pay and under the worst conditions.

In the US?

[boxless]

Days of worrying about such trivialities are over.

Suck it up and move on.

(And try to drink enough water for the whole day before getting to work.)

Re:

[alvinrod]

I predict the opposite. Once we kick out all of the Mexicans and have to do the work ourselves we might actually start caring about the conditions.

Re:

[rickb928]

Huh. So is that more winning?

I, for one, hope so.

Re: In the US?

[rickb928]

If I had a lawn I'd still be mowing it myself. I'm always paying a little more for stuff, sometimes more than a little more. I will pay what it costs. At least here on /. The usual screed is " evil corporation", and it really doesn't matter why, whether it was employing illegals or just not paying enough. Doesn't really matter does it. But yes, undoing illegal immigration and unfortunately expelling that illegal underclass that was being abused and taken advantage of anyway is unfortunate. The real problem

Re:

[rickb928]

All of the WxO orgs seem to desperately seek to impose their will on all else.

Good enough reason to make them explain themselves before signing on.

No funny? And no band?

[shanen]

Not too surprised by the lack of funny. Not much of a target story.

However disappointed by the lack of "band". If I had spotted the story before it was about to expire I would have asked about those new warning wristbands that are supposed to help protect against heatstroke.

Japanese fan vests

[juancn]

On the summer, the Japanese fan vests work surprisingly well.