Course Description:
Recorded at AIHce EXP 2023
The impacts of climate change (e.g., rising global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions), pose severe risks to the future of our society and the ecosystem. Yet, the risks of climate change on worker health and economic burden are often overlooked and underappreciated. Workers exposed to hot environments may be at risk of heat stress, resulting in heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat rashes. Heat stress can also increase injury risk in workers due to sweaty palms, fogged-up safety glasses or dizziness. The economic burden associated with lost work time from altered work/rest schedules due to occupational heat exposure is estimated to about U.S. $218 billion annually, or 0.5% of global GDP. As hot days are projected to increase in duration, frequency and intensity, the economic burden is expected to rise to an estimate at U.S. $2.5 trillion by 2030 or 1.2% of global GDP. Rising global temperatures, left unchecked, will reduce the global GDP 2.84% to 3.94% (similar to the economic burden of the COVID-19 pandemic). For every 1°C increase in global temperature, the global GDP will drop by 0.63% to 0.94%.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the session, the participant will be able to:
• Recognize worker health impacts (e.g., heat stress) from rising global temperatures.
• Evaluate the economic burden associated with occupational heat stress.
• Discuss potential strategies to counter rising global temperatures.
• Influence the increased risk and economic burden of occupational heat stress.
Contact Hours:
1
Presentation Date:
05/23/2023
Presenters:
Dave Risi, CIH, CSP
Blake McGowan, CPE
