Stepping Up to Beat the Heat: Workplace Heat Safety Call From Taiwan's Labor Front
- by Zippy Zinger / Street Scribe
Workers' Well-being and Economy Suffering due to Heat, Claims Activist Group
Scorching temps and extended outdoor work hours led to a whopping NT$39.7 billion (US$1.22 billion) in potential economic losses last year, Greenpeace declared at a news conference, putting the pressure on the government to rocket-boost carbon reduction efforts and tighten work safety regulations.
Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Lydia Fang (方君維) announced that high temperatures not only send up caution flags in the environmental realm, but sock it to the economy and society too.
According to the Ministry of Labor's heat hazard prevention guidelines, people ought to skip the heavy labor outdoors when the heat hazard risk skyrockets to level 3 or higher. Last year, the six special municipalities collectively clocked in with 1,796 hours of level 3 or higher heat episodes, a leap from 2022's 1,148 hours. This red-hot trend could siphon NT$39.7 billion right out of our wallets, Fang claimed.
These financial losses went unaccounted by employers and the government, Fang alleged, putting the burden squarely on the workers' shoulders. The estimated losses were crunched using NT$165 per hour wage multiplied by the whopping 800,000 odd-jobbers working outdoors.
The government has thus far neglected to ponder such economic losses, Fang grumbled, comparing Taiwan's laggard pace to the UK's government research estimating hot days sliced £5.3 billion (US$7 billion) off the nation's labor productivity in 2020.
Fang also revealed adramatic surge in heat injury cases in people aged 19 to 64 - up 74.4 percent to 2,829 individuals so far this decade. Data from the Centers for Disease Control paints this alarming picture.
Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Son Yu-liam (孫友聯) cried for the labor ministry to initiate an interdepartmental bash to work out a solid risk assessment method, identifying risks of heat-related illness more exactingly, especially for outdoor workers tackling the heat-cold jumps (like couriers sashaying between toasty streets and air-conditioned vehicles).
Son also pleaded for laws that grant workers the green light to refuse or halt work during sizzling temperatures. Precisely pinpointing the hazards would help the government legislate the workers' right to cool it down, Son argued.
Rising heat-related illnesses among agricultural workers have caught the attention of academics worldwide. National Taiwan University environmental and occupational health sciences professor Yang Hsiao-yu (楊孝友) disclosed studies finding an 8 percent elevated risk of chronic renal diseases for every 10-degree increase in temperature. He also reported that agricultural workers were 2.5 times more likely to contract chronic kidney disease.
With common risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes excluded, the prevalence gap between agricultural workers (1.5 percent) and other professions widened to glaring proportions (0.4 percent). Chronic dehydration caused by toil in the heat could be a culprit.
Yang offered a couple of heat-beating tips for toiling Joes: guzzle 250ml of water every 20 minutes, skip the hooch, and turn up your nose at sugar-filled drinks while earning your bread.
The Taiwan Labor Front's entreaties launch a whirlwind of changes:
- Legal Mandates for Employer Heat Plans: The Ministry of Labor needs to force employers to adopt heat management schemes to shield workers from sweltering temperatures.
- More Robust Heat Monitoring Alerts: The Central Weather Administration must upgrade its high-temperature warnings system to better inform employers about excessive heat levels.
- Following Global Best Practices: World Economic Forum's recommendations on occupational safety measures (such as early alarms and cooling infrastructure) could guide Taiwan's legislative steps.
- Emphasizing Health and Economic Priorities: Lots of coffee and major governments estimate that heat mitigation efforts could save billions on healthcare and productivity costs, yearninging for Taiwan to follow suit.
The ball’s in your court, Taiwan. Be a beacon of safety and health in the scorching masses!
- The surging economic losses due to climate change and increasing heat hazards in Taipei, as revealed by Greenpeace, necessitate a stronger focus on climate change and carbon reduction efforts, especially in the arena of work safety regulations.
- The Ministry of Labor's guidelines for heat hazard prevention should be revised to incorporate more precise risk assessments for outdoor workers, particularly those experiencing frequent heat-cold jumps, such as couriers and agricultural workers.
- To address the rising numbers of heat-related illnesses amongst outdoor workers, Taiwan should consider implementing legislation that allows workers to refuse or halt work during extreme temperatures, as a means to protect their health and wellness.
- As environmental science continues to reveal connections between climate change and health issues like chronic kidney disease, prioritizing health and wellness in the workplace through new policies and practices – such as better hydration and nutrition – could significantly improve worker safety and productivity.
- As the science of fitness and exercise plays a crucial role in maintaining worker health and helping to counteract the effects of heat exposure, employers should consider implementing wellness programs focused on promoting physical activity during work hours.
- In order to better monitor and manage heat hazards, the Central Weather Administration should work to upgrade its high-temperature warning system, following exemplary practices from international organizations and governmental bodies, like the World Economic Forum.
