Heat and productivity: Worker output can fall sharply in rising temperatures, dropping by two to three per cent for every degree above 20°C, according to a new assessment from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The findings, based on evidence collected over the past fifty years, suggest that heat stress in the workplace is no longer a marginal issue but an urgent global challenge.
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The report warns that soaring temperatures, now a common feature across continents, are putting both indoor and outdoor workers at risk. Beyond immediate problems such as heatstroke and dehydration, prolonged exposure to extreme heat is linked to kidney disease, neurological damage, and a steady erosion of long-term health and financial security.
“Extreme heat affecting workers worldwide has emerged as a significant and growing occupational crisis requiring urgent intervention,” said Vidhya Venugopal, a professor of occupational hygiene and health at Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research in Tamil Nadu, who contributed to the report.
Venugopal, whose earlier research connected workplace heat exposure to higher miscarriage risks among pregnant women, stressed that cultural and economic realities must be factored into adaptation strategies. “The poorest communities face the greatest burden but have the least means to cope,” she noted.
The warning comes on the heels of a record-breaking year. The WMO has confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year yet, with daytime temperatures of 40°C and even 50°C increasingly common. The WHO-WMO report estimates that half of the world’s population is already experiencing the negative effects of high heat, a trend that calls for immediate policy attention.
