Climate Change Threatens the Safety and Health of Workers

The average temperature of the earth's surface is projected to break a new record in 2023, with July 2023 becoming the hottest month ever recorded. During the period of 2011-2020, the average surface temperature of the earth was 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer compared to the average temperature at the end of the 19th century.

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This situation causes widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, land, ocean, and ice regions. Climate change has resulted in extreme weather and climate conditions on all continents, increasing occupational health and safety risks for workers.

ILO divides six climate change risks that will impact occupational health and safety globally. The six risks include excessive heat, exposure to ultraviolet rays, extreme weather events, air pollution, vector-borne diseases, and agrochemicals.

"The six occupational hazards in the report are closely related to workers' lives. They can all disrupt productivity in the workplace," said National Program Officer of ILO for Indonesia and Timor Leste, Abdul Hakim, on Friday (26/4/2024) in Jakarta.

In a report released on Monday (22/4/2024), the ILO estimated that more than 2.4 billion people are likely to be exposed to excessive heat while working. When calculated as part of the global workforce, the proportion has increased from 65.5 percent to 70.9 percent since 2000.

In 2020 alone, approximately 26.2 million people worldwide suffered from chronic kidney disease due to heat stress in the workplace.

The same report also mentions several other projection data regarding the impact of climate change on occupational safety and health. One of them is that about 1.6 billion workers are estimated to have been exposed to ultraviolet radiation, with more than 18,960 job-related deaths each year due to non-melanoma skin cancer.

All workers from various backgrounds have occupational safety and health (OSH) risks arising from climate change, ranging from female, young, to elderly workers.

Through the same report, ILO also revealed that all workers from various backgrounds have occupational health and safety risks caused by climate change, ranging from women workers, young workers, to elderly workers.

Young workers, for example, are often exposed to excessive heat. Moreover, if they work in sectors such as agriculture, construction, and waste management.

They are also more likely to experience serious accidents in the workplace compared to more senior or long-serving workers. This is because younger workers may be less mature and lack skills, training, and experience.

In the report "Working on a Warmer Planet" released in 2019, the ILO projected that by 2030, 2.2 percent of total working hours worldwide would be lost due to high temperatures. Workers in subregions on the tropical and subtropical latitudes are at a higher risk of heat stress. This is due to the combined effect of extreme heat and the large number of workers working in the agricultural sector.

"Besides physical illnesses, the excessive heat risks caused by climate change also have an impact on mental health. Workers become more vulnerable to stress and, in the end, their productivity decreases," he said.

Abdul added that the occupational health and safety risks arising from climate change do not stand alone. There are various elements that influence it, including industrial development.

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The Director of ILO for Indonesia and Timor Leste, Simrin Singh, stated during the hybrid launch event of the National OSH Program 2024-2029 on Thursday that the most important thing in anticipating such risks is the political will of each country.

For Indonesia, he suggested that through the leadership of the Ministry of Manpower (Kemenaker), the government prioritize the impact of climate change on workers as a national issue.

Deputy Secretary General of the Central Leadership Council of the Confederation of All Indonesian Workers' Union, Fredy Sembiring, who was also present at the same event, believes that in responding to new occupational health and safety risks caused by climate change, Indonesia should review the substance of the K3 regulations that have been established.

The purpose is to check the extent to which existing regulations accommodate changes. "According to us, Law No. 1 of 1970 concerning Occupational Safety and Health, which has been the umbrella for K3 regulations, needs to be reviewed," he said.

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Aside from regulations, Fredy considers that occupational health and safety (K3) has not yet become a genuinely good culture among workers and industries in Indonesia. If left unaddressed, this issue will further increase the risk level of K3 amidst the threat of climate change.

"Not to mention the issue of recording workers who are at risk of occupational health and safety (K3). Thus far, K3 reporting data have not been clear. Consequently, mapping solutions or ways to anticipate new K3 risks is difficult," he said.

Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah admitted that the K3 culture in Indonesia had not developed sufficiently. The number of work accidents seen from work accident social security (JKK) claims data, for example, tends to increase every year.

Therefore, Ida stated that there needs to be a comprehensive effort from workers and employers to ensure that the K3 culture is truly implemented. The Ministry of Manpower has also launched the National K3 Program Document 2024-2029, which is expected to become one of the references for the direction of K3 development nationally in line with the National Medium-Term Development Plan 2024-2029.

The number of work accidents seen from work accident social security (JKK) claims data, for example, tends to increase every year.

So far, to address the risk of excessive heat in the workplace, the Director of Occupational Standards Inspection at the Ministry of Manpower, Yuli Adiratna, mentioned that Ministerial Regulation No. 5 of 2018 concerning Occupational Safety and Health in the Workplace has been issued. This regulation invites workplaces to measure and control excessive heat as well as work psychology.

"With the proliferation of downstream projects, excessive heat testing must be carried out so that workers can still feel comfortable and safe while working. We urge employers to increase their Occupational Health and Safety (K3) responsibilities in their respective workplaces," said Yuli.

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Chairperson of the Indonesian Employers Association's (Apindo) Committee on Occupational Health and Safety (K3), Rima Melati, stated that in order to prevent wider K3 risks due to climate change, industrial players have a big role to play. Apindo is making efforts to encourage its members to not only pursue profits in their businesses, but also to pay attention to social aspects.

"We believe that if climate change is not quickly addressed, the risks to occupational health and safety will widen, thus disrupting business. The phenomenon of drought in agricultural lands results in industries not being able to produce to their maximum potential. Business owners may collapse and workers will experience income shortages," he said.