Action needed to protect
workers from heat stress

The UN is urging governments to take more
care protecting workers exposed to extreme
temperatures – as heatwaves become fiercer
and more common, serious health risks are
on the rise

AVERAGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS OF INCREASED
HIGH HEAT (31°C*, under different future scenarios)

Years
2071-2099

16 million people, if global warming kept to 1.7°C
133 million, warming under 2.0°C
225 million, warming 1.4°-3.1°C
1.104 billion, warming 2.6°-4.8°C

FREQUENCY OF ENCOUNTERING
HEAT EXHAUSTION (%)

37.2 37.6 38.0 38.4 38.8 39.2 39.6 40.0

100
80
60
40
20
0

Body core temperature (°C)

Worker
productivity
drops by 2-3%
every degree
above 20°C

WATER NEEDED AT VARYING
TEMPERATURES (litres per day)

10 15 20 25 30 35 40

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Daily average WBGT (°C)*

Hard work
Moderate
Light-Moderate
Light
Sedentary

*Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) – measure of environmental heat as it affects humans, accounting for air temperature, humidity, radiant heat and air movement

Sources: Reuters, WHO/WMO
Picture: Javad Esmaeili (Unsplash)
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