IG-I-1: Heat-related loss in performance | Umweltbundesamt

IG-I-1: Heat-related loss in performance

Climate change may in future increase exposure to summer heat at the work place, both indoors and outdoors. Anincreasing number of respondents to the survey researching environmental awareness expect to suffer adverse effects on their performance at their work place.

Reduced efficiency in summer heat

Rising temperatures and increasing absolute air humidity impact strongly on health and work efficiency. The effects arising are not limited to increased morbidity: diminished concentration is an effect that can make employees more prone to making mistakes or having accidents thus also affecting productivity.⁶³ Extreme heatwaves entail additional health risks such as heatstroke, extreme dehydration or exhaustion while body temperatures in excess of 40.6 °C can be fatal.⁶⁴

In respect of indoor work places many studies showed a significant link between efficiency and the so-called thermal comfort zone. If room temperatures depart from this optimum either downwards or upwards, efficiency will decrease. The climate of a room is termed thermally comfortable when a human being perceives air temperature, air humidity, air circulation and heat radiation in their immediate environment as optimal and does not wish for the air in the room either to be warmer, colder, drier or more humid. For the summer months temperatures between 23 °C and 26 °C are considered comfortable for employees in sedentary occupations. Measures to provide heat protection in summer (e.g. shading or air conditioning) in indoor work spaces can help to keep temperatures within this range.

In Germany there are approximately 2 to 3 million people who work predominantly or at least some of the time outdoors. They are exposed to prevailing weather conditions and weather patterns all year round. Increasing heat exposure – often causing heat stress – and other climatic changes clearly affect these people more directly than people who work indoors. These activities contribute approximately 10 to 15 % of value added to the economy – primarily in the sectors of agriculture, forestry and building industry and in some segments of the industrial and services sector.

A comparison of the outcome of surveys ‘Umweltbewusstsein in Deutschland’^I conducted in 2012, 2014 and 2016 shows that an increasing number of respondents expect any future increase in heat stress to impact strongly or very strongly on their work efficiency. While in 2012 the percentage of respondents expecting impacts on their work efficiency had amounted to only a quarter of all respondents, this figure had increased to 44 % by 2014 and 46 % by 2016 respectively.

An employee’s thermal comfort determines their working capacity thus impacting directly on a company’s productivity and on the productivity of the entire economy. Studies are based on the assumption that for periods of major heat stress in Central Europe productivity losses amount to between 3 and 12 %.

These figures were used as a basis for estimating the impact on the national income. Accordingly, in view of hot days occurring already nowadays and compared to years without hot days, the productivity losses mentioned above might result in losses to the national economy amounting to approximately 540 million to 2.4 billion Euros.⁶⁵ It is true to say, however, that estimating the national economic productivity is subject to considerable uncertainties. In fact, some studies suggest, especially for the building industry, that productivity might even rise as climate change increases the length of time available in the course of a year during which working outdoors is feasible.⁶⁶

The relevant work place regulations stipulate various requirements to be met in order to maintain employees’ good health and thus their efficiency while working indoors even while outside air temperatures might be more than 26 °C. In cases where room temperatures exceed the threshold of 26 °C or 30 °C respectively, remedial action should or must be taken. Employers can, for example, ensure that suitable sunshading is installed and is used to best advantage, that the premises are adequately aired in the early mornings, interior heat loads are reduced, working hours are adapted and refreshing drinks are offered. It may also be appropriate to relax existing clothing instructions.

For working outdoors, industrial safety legislation also requires that measures be taken to protect employees from adverse impacts on their health resulting from heat stress. For example, on building sites employers can give instruction for shading or aeration units to be installed in order to provide adequate working conditions. Above all, employers can take organisational measures by adapting working hours to the prevailing weather conditions, by arranging for sufficiently long breaks, making sure there is an adequate supply of refreshing drinks and ensuring that employees, as part of their training, are made aware of potential hazards and any appropriate countermeasures they can take for their own protection.

^{63 Kjellstrom T., Holmer I., Lemke B. 2009: Workplace Heat Stress, Health and Productivity – an Increasing Challenge for Low and Middle-Income Countries during Climate Change. Global Health Action 2 (1): 2047. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v2i0.2047 Parsons K. 2014: Human Thermal Environments: The Effects of Hot, Moderate, and Cold Environments on Human Health, Comfort, and Performance. CRC press, 635 pp.
64 UNDP CVF – United Nations Development Programme, Climate Vulnerable Forum 2016: Climate Change and Labour: Impacts of Heat in the Workplace. New Zealand, 33 pp.
https://www.undp.org/publications/climate-change-and-labor-impacts-heat-workplace
65 Hübler M. & Klepper G. 2007: Kosten des Klimawandels – Die Wirkung steigender Temperaturen auf Gesundheit und Leistungsfähigkeit. Aktualisierte Fassung einer Studie im Auftrag des WWF Deutschland, Frankfurt, 65 pp.
66 Urban H. & Steininger K.W. 2015: Manufacturing and Trade: Labour Productivity Losses. In: Steininger K., König M., Bednar-Friedl B., Loibl W., Kranzl L., Prettenthaler F., Haas W., Formayer H., Goetzl M., Zulka K.
2015: Economic Evaluation of Climate Change Impacts – Development of a Cross-Sectoral Framework and Results for Austria. Basel: 301–322.
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-12457-5
I - The representative population survey (of German-speaking residents aged 14 or more years) entitled Environmental Awareness and Behaviour in Germany (Umweltbewusstsein und -verhalten in Deutschland) has been carried out every two years since 2000 on behalf of the BMU and the UBA. Since 2012, questions have been asked in the survey, intended to supply data for DAS monitoring indicators; from 2016 onwards, these questions were asked every four years in conducting the environmental awareness surveys.}

Interfaces

GE-I-1: Heat exposure and Public awareness

GE-R-2: Successes of the heat warning system - case study

BAU-I-1: Heat stress in urban environments