Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Nov;13(11):847-65.
doi: 10.1080/15459624.2016.1179388.

Advancing the framework for considering the effects of climate change on worker safety and health

P A Schulte  1 , A Bhattacharya  1 , C R Butler  2 , H K Chun  3 , B Jacklitsch  1 , T Jacobs  4 , M Kiefer  2 , J Lincoln  5 , S Pendergrass  1 , J Shire  4 , J Watson  6 , G R Wagner  7
Affiliations

Advancing the framework for considering the effects of climate change on worker safety and health

P A Schulte et al. J Occup Environ Hyg. 2016 Nov.

Abstract

In 2009, a preliminary framework for how climate change could affect worker safety and health was described. That framework was based on a literature search from 1988-2008 that supported seven categories of climate-related occupational hazards: (1) increased ambient temperature; (2) air pollution; (3) ultraviolet radiation exposure; (4) extreme weather; (5) vector-borne diseases and expanded habitats; (6) industrial transitions and emerging industries; and (7) changes in the built environment. This article reviews the published literature from 2008-2014 in each of the seven categories. Additionally, three new topics related to occupational safety and health are considered: mental health effects, economic burden, and potential worker safety and health impacts associated with the nascent field of climate intervention (geoengineering). Beyond updating the literature, this article also identifies key priorities for action to better characterize and understand how occupational safety and health may be associated with climate change events and ensure that worker health and safety issues are anticipated, recognized, evaluated, and mitigated. These key priorities include research, surveillance, risk assessment, risk management, and policy development. Strong evidence indicates that climate change will continue to present occupational safety and health hazards, and this framework may be a useful tool for preventing adverse effects to workers.

Keywords: Extreme weather; occupational safety and health; risk assessment; temperature.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Individual outdoor heat-related fatalities 2008–2014 on projection of number of days above 90°F in 2020.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Illustration that new “green” technologies, such as wind energy production, are not hazard free. (Top right photo used with permission of the Sherman County, Oregon, Sheriff's office.)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Priorities for action to address climate-related occupational safety and health hazards.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Roelofs C., Wegman D.:Workers: the climate canaries Am. J. Publ. Health 101799–1801.2014 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schulte P.A., Chun H.:Climate change and occupational safety and health: establishing a preliminary framework J. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 9542–554.2009 - PubMed
    1. Portier C.:A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change: A Report Outlining the Research Needs on the Human Health Effects of Climate Change. 22 April 2010 Research Triangle Park, NC: Environmental Health Perspectives/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; 2010
    1. Garfin G., Jardine A., Merideth R., Black M., LeRoy S.:Assessment of Climate Change in the Southwest United States: A Report Prepared for the National Climate Assessment NCA Regional Input Reports 2013
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) :World Health Day – Vector-Borne Diseases http://www.cdc.gov/features/worldhealthday2014/August 31, 2015

LinkOut - more resources