Workers need to be less vulnerable to climate change
Talking with Mr. Huynh Thanh Xuan - Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor in the above working session, Mr. Dave Noonan informed that climate change was a key issue discussed thoroughly at a recent conference of BWI.
Accordingly, the impacts on health, employment, and workers' lives due to climate change are analyzed and clarified to develop an action strategy. This strategy aims to minimize the impact of climate change on workers. Mr. Dave Noonan gave examples such as not using materials that can reduce workers' health; switching from using fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources...
The reason this content is considered a key issue is because in reality, there are many risks to occupational safety and health related to climate change. This is clearly shown in the fact that workers do heavy manual labor outdoors such as construction and agriculture. The working conditions here are hot, rainy and windy, so workers face the risk of being affected by many impacts of climate change...
BWI is also concerned about the impact of climate change on female workers, who may be at greater risk due to their work roles and pregnancy-related complications. Workers in the informal economy are among those most at risk from climate change because they often lack occupational safety and health protections, essential services and infrastructure. Due to financial concerns, informal workers, as well as many self-employed workers, may not be able to stop working, even when their health is at risk from extreme climate events...
Mr. Dave Noonan highly appreciated the role of the Vietnam Trade Union in occupational safety and hygiene with many activities to minimize the impact of climate change on workers. In Vietnam, the month of action on occupational safety and hygiene takes place from May 1 to 31 every year. During this time, activities such as disseminating policies and laws; organizing inspection teams to inspect the compliance with occupational safety and hygiene regulations at enterprises; rewarding enterprises that perform well in occupational safety and hygiene... are emphasized.
The 2024 Occupational Safety and Health Action Month with the theme "Enhancing occupational safety and health at the workplace and in the supply chain" is organized nationwide to promote and create a clear change in awareness, perception as well as specific actions on ensuring occupational safety and health at the workplace, approaching social responsibility towards consumers and in the supply chain of products, goods and services.
One of the activities contributing to reducing the impact of climate change on workers is the emulation movement "Green - Clean - Beautiful - Ensuring occupational safety and hygiene" launched by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. The goal of the movement is to make agencies and units increasingly greener, cleaner and more beautiful; Ensure that the conditions and environment of the production area are improved, less polluted; Enhance the culture of safety in production, helping workers to love and attach more to the grassroots unit, enthusiastically improve labor productivity, product quality and work efficiency. Over the years, the movement has joined hands to improve working conditions, limit and prevent the risk of occupational accidents and diseases for workers.
6 main effects of climate change on occupational safety and hygiene
According to the report “Safety and health at work in a changing climate” by the International Labour Organization (ILO), there is significant evidence related to 6 main impacts of climate change on occupational safety and health. These 6 impacts were selected based on their severity and impact on workers, including: Excessive heat, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, extreme weather events, air pollution in the workplace, vector-borne diseases and agricultural chemicals.
According to the ILO, workers, especially the poorest groups, are at higher risk of exposure and suffering from risks caused by extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods because they are the first to be affected and suffer for a longer period of time and to a greater extent.
ILO analysis shows that “heat stress” – the stress caused by heat on the body – is a temperature higher than the body can tolerate without adverse physiological effects, but which can pose risks to human health if exposed for a long time, especially for outdoor workers. Working in hot conditions puts workers at risk of heat-related illnesses and makes them work slower and less productively.
Meanwhile, the ILO estimates that increased “heat stress” could lead to production losses equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs by 2030 and economic losses of $2.4 trillion. This is a “scenario” forecast based on the assumption that global temperatures will rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Forecasts show that by 2030, about 2.2% of all working hours worldwide will be lost due to high temperatures. Agriculture and construction are two of the sectors most affected by “heat stress”, followed by workers in environmental services, waste collection, emergency services, repair work, transport, tourism, sports and some industries.
