The International Social Security Association (ISSA) emphasized the critical importance of prevention and the role of accident insurance institutions in addressing heat stress in the workplace during the recent G20 OSH Network meeting in Fortaleza, Brazil.
The G20 Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Network held a special session on heat stress in the workplace in connection with its annual meeting on 22 July 2024. As global temperatures rise and the frequency and intensity of heatwaves increase, heat stress can endanger workers' health and elevate the risk of accidents and injuries.
The importance of prevention
In the meeting, the ISSA stressed the urgent need for collaboration to address heat stress and protect workers through effective preventive measures. “To develop a sustainable approach to addressing heat-stress risks at work, workers, employers, governments and social security institutions must work together”, said the ISSA Secretary General, Marcelo Abi-Ramia Caetano.
He explained how the ISSA promotes the values of prevention through its network of accident insurance institutions, its Special Commission on Prevention, and the Vision Zero strategy. The ISSA's recent Vision Zero publication, 7 Golden Rules – To protect the environment and our future provides concrete guidance on this issue.
Role of social security
Accident insurance institutions offer financial protection and support for workers suffering from heat-related illnesses or injuries. Many of them also provide incentives for employers to adopt safer working practices. Beyond accident insurance, short-term work allowances paid by unemployment insurance schemes have been expanded in several countries to cover wages for workers whose employers interrupt activities due to excessive heat conditions.
The G20 OSH Network issued a statement saying that “Preventing exposure to excessive heat not only contributes to workers’ physical, mental, and overall well-being but also offers additional benefits, such as reducing health care and social protection costs and enhancing family and community welfare, as well as productivity and operational continuity.”
Next steps
The ISSA will continue its collaboration with the G20 OSH Network to ensure that appropriate policies, guidelines and measures are developed to address heat stress in the workplace. The ISSA Guidelines on Prevention of Occupational Risks are being updated and will include a new section on climate change and heat stress. Lessons from the G20 OSH Network meeting will be integrated into this process, contributing to evidence-based prevention policies and measures.
Together with the International Labour Organization, the ISSA also launched the G20 Social Policy Portal at the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting on 25 July. A section on OSH, employment injury and rehabilitation will be developed on this portal in the time to come. Key resources and materials linked to agenda of the G20 OSH Network will be posted there.