An article in Time Magazine has discussed the potential damage to the US economy that heat stress in the workplace poses. In addition to putting 50 million Americans across essential industries at risk, heat stress also threatens the US economy by causing “an estimated $100 billion annual toll in lost productivity increased workers’ comp premiums, lawsuits, and health care costs”.
It’s also reported that up to 40 people a year die from heat stress, most in outdoor work such as farming or construction. The director of OSHA, Doug Parker, believes that this number is a significant undercount due to heat being overlooked when issuing death certificates for cardiac arrest and respiratory failure.
In order to reduce heat stress among workers, employers should provide adequate rest breaks, help workers acclimatise to their conditions, and increase/monitor hydration of their employees.
Read the rest of the article here:
https://time.com/6299091/extreme-heat-us-workers-economy/