The United Nations has issued an urgent call for action to protect workers from the growing dangers of heat stress as climate change continues to drive more frequent and intense heatwaves globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released an updated report in August 2025 warning that rising temperatures, especially in outdoor workplaces such as agriculture, construction, and fisheries, pose serious health risks including heatstroke, dehydration, kidney damage, and neurological disorders.
The report highlights how productivity declines by 2-3% for every degree Celsius above 20°C, affecting individual incomes and national economies.
More than 2.4 billion workers worldwide are exposed to excessive heat, leading to over 22 million workplace injuries annually. Extreme heat is no longer confined to equatorial regions but now affects temperate areas as well, with recent severe heatwaves in Europe serving as stark examples.
The WHO and WMO emphasize that worker protection from heat stress is both a health and economic imperative. Their guidance calls for tailored heat action plans involving governments, employers, trade unions, and health experts to implement practical measures such as hydration breaks, shaded rest areas, appropriate clothing, worker training, and heat-health advisories.
Countries like Italy and Switzerland have started adopting heat safety protocols, including work stoppages during peak heat hours. The report also stresses the importance of protecting vulnerable populations such as older adults and people with chronic health conditions. The UN agencies urge coordinated, scalable, and sustainable actions to safeguard workers’ health and livelihoods as the climate crisis intensifies, underscoring that with current scientific knowledge and technology, ignoring heat stress is no longer an option.
The report, the first significant update on this issue since 1969, represents a critical warning that workplaces must adapt swiftly to protect workers and economies from the silent but escalating threat of extreme heat.