Climate Change and Heat Stress Resilient Outdoor Workers: Findings from Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Purpose: Global warming has led to an increase in the number and intensity of extreme heat events, posing a significant threat to the health and safety of workers, especially those working outdoors, as they often have limited access to cooling strategies. This systematic literature review aims to compile strategies to enhance occupational heat stress resilience among outdoor workers in the context of climate change. Materials and Methods: In this systematic review, we searched scientific databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. Additionally, we identified relevant studies on climate change and heat-stress control measures through Google Scholar using specific search terms. In total, we monitored 2001 articles pertaining to worker populations (men=2921; women=627) in various outdoor climate conditions across 14 countries. Results. Global warming significantly contributes to the rise in occupational heat stress. Failure to implement effective control strategies for outdoor workers will result in decreased resilience to thermal stress. The findings underscore a lack of awareness regarding certain adaptation strategies and interventions aimed at preventing and enhancing resilience to the impact of climate change on heat stress prevalence among workers in outdoor tropical and subtropical environments. Conclusion. The integration of climate change adaptation strategies into occupational health programs can enhance occupational heat resilience among outdoor workers. Conducting cost-benefit evaluations of health and safety measures for thermal stress adaptation strategies among outdoor workers is crucial for professionals and policymakers in low- and middle-income tropical and subtropical countries. Projected future global warming conditions will dangerously affect the anticipated occupational heat stress resilience of outdoor workers worldwide. Risk management strategies, adaptive measures, heat risk awareness, practical interventions, training programs, and protective policies should be implemented in hot-dry and hot-humid climates to boost the tolerance and resilience of outdoor workers.