Creating a model for preventing occupational heat stress in a world experiencing climate change

Occupational heat stress poses significant challenges to workers and businesses. As the effects of climate change worsen, the world must adapt faster. Higher ambient temperatures and heat waves lead to higher incidences of occupational heat-related illnesses and injuries among the workforce, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, accidents, acute kidney injury, and subsequent fatal chronic kidney disease of non-traditional cause (CKDnt). La Isla Network (LIN) and its team of researchers have developed a model to prevent these from occurring through funding provided by Germany’s GIZ, BMZ, and DEG that developed the Adelante Initiative and Center of Excellence (CoE) at a sugar mill facing severe issues with heat stress and its consequences in its supply chain in Nicaragua. Through the CoE, we conduct research and build evidence on-site, which is translated into practice and policy. Through the Adelante Initiative, we have dispelled biases that occupational health interventions harm the bottom line. We have demonstrated that evidence-based interventions of rest, shade, hydration, and sanitation, coupled with changes in organizational management reduced harm, decreasing the incidence of acute kidney injury by 94% over four harvest seasons, increased the productivity of workers by as much as 20%, despite working fewer hours, and provided a 22% return-on-investment for the company implementing the programs. These results demonstrate that reducing harm, increasing productivity, and providing an ROI are all interconnected aspects of a successful intervention addressing occupational heat stress. Today we are scaling our approach through the PREP 4 Change program in several sugarcane mills in Mesoamerica and developing similar programs based on our methodology for construction workers in the USA and migrant laborers supplying fruit and vegetables from Spain for major German and British grocery chains, which will also help German suppliers comply with the German SCDDA. As the climate warms, these programs will be increasingly important.