A maintenance worker pushes a refuse cart in the sun, Aug 25, 2023, in Las Vegas. "A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace, and these figures are only likely to get worse," the United Nations' International Labour Organization said in a report.
And those numbers, do not include the more than 26 million people who live with chronic kidney disease linked to workplace heat stress. Another 1.6 billion people were likely exposed to workplace pollution, resulting in up to 860,000 deaths among outdoor workers annually. "It's clear that climate change is already creating significant additional health hazards for workers," Manal Azzi, head of the ILO's occupational safety and health team, said.