One year ago, we launched the Let’s Bring It Home! campaign to draw attention to the fact that workers in the U.S. and Europe are already feeling the effects of heat stress. The tropical zones, with their year-round heat, have rightfully been the primary areas of interest when talking about understanding and stopping occupational heat stress.
Climate change is turning that logic on its head by making heat more intense, frequent, and lasting worldwide. Research and personal experience are proving this.
Even in the face of this great challenge, La Isla Network is making headway in protecting workers. Keep reading below to learn why heat stress is a cause for concern, and what La Isla Network has been doing to counter it.
The Facts
Workers make up the threads of the social fabric. They sustain businesses, the economy, and ultimately our livelihoods. Research by scientists in our network and beyond shows that heat is harming worker health and productivity. The harm done to workers will affect us all. Following is an index of facts coming from that research.
Protecting workers from excessive heat is our moral and civic duty. The solution is as simple as rest, shade, hydration, plus sanitation.
“Governments, the private sector, multilateral institutions and civil society have a unique chance in history to protect workers’ lives by implementing policies, laws and regulations that require, once and for all, mandatory breaks and access to water, rest and shade. The right of workers to occupational physical and mental health cannot wait while temperatures and heat stress reach new extremes.”
Javier Vasquez, LIN Senior Legal and Policy Advisor
“Occupational Health and Safety should be the top priority every day. Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality for many migrant laborers. Events like these can raise awareness among various stakeholders, including workers and employers.”
Dinesh Neupane, Professor and Researcher, Johns Hopkins University, ENSURE-Nepal
“In this partnership with Turner Construction Company, we are focusing on safeguarding construction workers from heat stress, an important hazard exacerbated by global warming. These joint efforts are to investigate heat stress in construction workers at a large scale and implement effective safeguards to protect the well-being of workers while sustaining productivity in this vital sector of our economy.”
Fabiano Amorim and Zachary Schlader, Professors and Researchers
“In response to Miami Dade county’s efforts to protect outdoor workers, Florida governor Ron DeSantis passed HB 433 earlier this month, preventing cities and towns from protecting the 2 million outdoor workers in the state from the blazing Florida heat. Now, mandated water breaks cannot be imposed by local governments in Florida, and nothing is being done to protect workers at the state level. This has got to stop.”
Robert Thomma, VP of Development and Engagement
Protecting workers now, abroad and at home
Key Highlights
- Our aim is to close gaps that might be found in Ingenio San Antonio’s supply chain.
- The incidence of kidney injury has gone from 21% to 1%, post-intervention.
- We have provided Ingenio San Antonio with a 22% return on investment.
- Through the Center of Excellence, ISA is ready to respond to all OSH risks, ensuring it is safeguarded from the worst effects of climate change.
- Our protocols have improved ISA’s brand positioning and prevented unnecessary liabilities.
Recognition in Excellence
In 2019, Ingenio San Antonio, the National Committee of Nicaraguan Sugar Producers (CNPA), and La Isla Network won the Bonsucro Positive Social Impact Award.
In 2024 Ingenio San Antonio won two award categories in the Just Drinks Excellence Awards, for Social and Environmental Sustainability.
Safeguarding worker health and providing a return on investment
When we started working with Ingenio San Antonio (ISA) we faced an epidemic of chronic kidney disease that had already taken the lives of approximately 20,000 people in Central America. Sugarcane cutters at ISA were especially impacted. This form of chronic kidney disease was found among young, otherwise healthy working age men. So, when we started working with ISA to reverse the course of this epidemic, our goal was to close any and all occupational safety and health gaps that might be found within ISA’s supply chain. Research led to the development of an OSH intervention focused on rest, shade, hydration, and sanitation that is specific to the nature of work at ISA.
Data collected on-site shows the intervention’s impact. Before, ISA’s workforce who had the heaviest workload experienced a 21% incidence rate of kidney injury. That has dropped to 1%. We also found that workers’ productivity went up.
That’s one-half of the story. The program has been fine-tuned through data collected on-site to ensure it is as effective as possible given the specifics at the work site. As a result we have been able to provide ISA with a 22% return on their investment.
The work at ISA continues, through the Adelante Center of Excellence. We aim to make ISA one of the first companies with a fully protected supply chain. Through the Center of Excellence, ISA is ready to respond to all OSH risks, ensuring it is safeguarded from the worst effects of climate change.
Our protocols are compliant with certifications, standards, and laws on ethical and sustainable production. ISA’s commitment to protecting their workforce is validated by its certifications from Bonsucro, Fair Trade USA, and ISCC EU. By meeting over 300 rigorous labor, social, and environmental criteria set by Fair Trade USA, ISA has demonstrated its dedication to responsible business practices.
Key Highlights
- Workers in the construction industry are disproportionately at risk of heat-related illness, injury, and death.
- A pilot study in Kansas City found that 43% of workers experienced an internal body temperature exceeding 100.4°F/38°C.
- The work continues with a scaled-up program starting in 2024. The program will assess current occupational health and organizational management practices, to develop effective interventions. Partners include the Chubb Corporation, Zurich Insurance Company, and Liberty Mutual Insurance.
Data for Change
Read the full story behind the pilot project in Kansas City.
Addressing Heat Stress and Occupational Safety in the U.S. with Turner Construction
In the United States, workers in the construction industry are at heightened risk for heat stress, leaving them vulnerable to illness, injury, and death. Workers’ compensation data show that construction workers make up the bulk of those who succumb to heat-related illness. Compared to workers in all other industries, construction workers experience 13 times the risk of heat-related death. Between 2000 and 2010, the bulk of heat-related deaths occurred in construction, at 36.8%.
That’s why we are proud to partner with Turner Construction to collect data at multiple worksites in the U.S., to protect workers’ health in a changing climate. With data in hand we will assist Turner Construction in identifying and intervening on one of their biggest risks at work.
The results of a pilot study in Kansas City with Turner have confirmed workers’ risk of heat-related illness, injury and death. They showed that 43% of workers experienced an internal body temperature exceeding 100.4°F/38°C, with 4% exceeding 101.3°F/38.5°C, even in conditions that were cooler than typical summer conditions. In order to keep workers healthy, their temperature must remain below 100.4°F/38°C. Our advisory team for this project is led by Dr. Fabiano Amorim and Dr. Zachary Schlader from the University of New Mexico and Indiana University Bloomington, respectively.
The work continues with a scaled-up program starting in 2024. The program will assess current occupational health and organizational management practices, to develop effective interventions to protect workers from heat stress and other climate risks. The project is being done with the Chubb Corporation, Zurich Insurance Company, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. Because of Turner’s global reach, the results of this study and continuing projects in the near future will have an impact in protecting construction workers worldwide.
