n By Keith Hatch


point to the dangers that agricultural workers face in the fields. One from Inside Climate News late last year highlighted the fact that “Scores of California farmworkers are dying in the heat in regions with chronically bad air”.


While a report from the American Lung Association last October said, “Research has shown that agricultural workers are 35 times more likely to die from heat-related stress than workers in other industries.”


In Europe, the European Trade Union Institute has released a report on the impact of heat and heatwaves on workers’ health, safety and wellbeing, and condemned a lack of action from governments and employers across the European Union.


However unions in Europe are stepping up to protect their workers. In last year’s heat wave across southern Europe unions in Italy called on outdoor workers to walk out on the job if temperatures rose to dangerous levels. In Greece members of the Panhellenic Union of Employees for the Guarding of Antiquities (PEYFA) working at the Acropolis voted to strike during the hottest four hours of the day.


With extreme heat events expected to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity, employers in the agricultural industry need to think about adapting and being more prepared. Protecting workers against the risks climate change presents should be a priority.


The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) has called for greater awareness of the risks to agricultural workers during UK heatwaves, and pointed out “that there is better messaging in the farming sector on heat risks for cattle than for humans.”


The BOHS highlighted that the long shifts worked by seasonal workers over the summer harvest period can lead to increased chances of heat exhaustion, something that is particularly dangerous when combined with operating farm machinery.


They also highlighted the need to make employers and workers more aware of “the direct health risks associated with heat stress and the


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Unite is calling on all employers to ensure that [they] will make this work as safe as possible and reduce the chance of workers being exposed to the risks associated with a warming world


Bev Clarkson, Unite national officer


broader impacts of heat stress on safety, mental health, and long-term ill health.”


John Burbidge from the Unite Tolpuddle Branch said, “Farmworkers face increasing hazards due to the changing climate, and many are already seeing working patterns change in the summer to avoid the worst of the midday heat.


“However it is not just heat that poses a risk. Extreme weather can result in storms that bring down trees and farm buildings, or flooding that increases the risk to those driving around rural areas as part of their job. There is also an increased chance of lightning strikes in exposed fields and upland areas.”


Unite is calling for a number of changes to make work safer as the climate changes. These include improved risk assessments in cases of extreme weather, a maximum working temperature, increased breaks and the right to stop the job.


Unite national officer for food drink and agriculture, Bev Clarkson, said, “The effects of a changing climate on workers is felt particularly keenly by our members working outdoors in all weathers to provide the food on our tables.


“Extreme weather events, such as harsher heatwaves or stronger storms, can results in worryingly dangerous working conditions and Unite is calling on all employers to ensure that they provide adequate protection, improved facilities and appropriate risk assessments that will make this work as safe as possible


15 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2024


and reduce the chance of workers being exposed to the risks associated with a warming world.”


Unite offers practical advice to reps on protective measures in hot weather (see Unite advice below) and is encouraging reps to negotiate with employers to ensure workers are as safe as possible when working in conditions caused by extreme weather.


HEAT CAN KILL


Extreme heat is serious. Employers should provide:


� Regular and more frequent rest breaks


� Provide adequate facilities and free access to cool fresh drinking water


� Ensure agreements are in place to cover suspension of work


They should:


� Agree a cut-off point depending on where the work is taking place


� Check work rate – faster rate makes workers hotter


� Provide mechanical aids where possible to reduce work rate


� Provide shaded rest areas at appropriate places


� Reschedule work to cooler times of the day


Then they should:


� Provide specialised PPE – incorporating personal cooling systems or breathable fabrics


� Allow workers to acclimatise to their environment


� Identify which workers are acclimatised/assessed as fit to work in hot conditions


� Identify employees who are more susceptible to heat stress*


� Provide training for workers about the risks of heat stress, symptoms, safe working practices and emergency procedures


If you are in any doubt contact your Unite rep or nearest Unite regional office urgently – see page 39


* An illness, medical condition or medication may have a contributing factor in bringing on heat stress earlier


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