Every year, about 38,000 workers worldwide die as a result of heat stress or ultraviolet radiation, and the health of more than 2,000,000 workers is irreversibly affected. It is estimated that in Israel alone, about 1,000 new skin cancer patients are diagnosed each year as a result of occupational causes. These numbers can only be expected to increase. Construction workers, street cleaners, infrastructure, and agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of the climate crisis and global warming. They work long hours under the scorching sun or torrential rain without the state considering their plight or protecting them. But they are there.
Since the beginning of 2024 alone, five workers in Israel have been seriously injured as a result of heat stress. In April, two construction site workers were found unconscious due to heat stroke, one in Ashkelon and one in Bat Yam. In June, a gardener suffered a heat stroke in Kiryat Malachi and was rushed to hospital, in July, another worker was found unconscious with signs of heat stroke at a construction site in Arad, and another worker lost consciousness as a result of heat stress in Yavne. Strong winds have also led to bodily and property damage in the past year, and crane collapses due to strong winds have become more common. In one case, a collapse ended in tragedy with the death of the Israel Electric Corporation worker employee Nir Dekel. Despite these events, however, the lives of many workers are even now in danger, because the State of Israel still hasn't initiated a national plan for economic preparedness considering the consequences of the crisis – or up-to-date legislation to protect workers who are exposed to the elements.
In Israel, those working for long hours outdoors in manual jobs come mainly from the socio-economic periphery. Their employment opportunities are rare, and their bargaining powers to refuse work in extreme climatic conditions is limited by clear fears of losing their job. Even though their work is essential to their employers and to society, they are often abandoned to their fate. On construction sites there is still no obligation to install a faucet, or any clear rule concerning when winds are too strong to work on a crane. Agricultural workers can be required to work in the fields or in greenhouses also during unimaginable heat waves, as Israel has no clear rules on when work must be stopped to protect them.
The State of Israel must demand that employers prepare for these clear and proven dangers. The Ministry of Labor must determine under what conditions it is forbidden to work, instruct employers to follow the alerts of the Meteorological Service, and publish safety guidelines adapted to the heat stress, radiation levels, wind speed, and air pollution in the various areas. This data exists, and other bodies, such as the Ministry of Education and the military, use it to establish proper procedures for extended outdoor activities – or when to avoid them. The State Comptroller has already written about this and called for action. The time has come for the Ministry of Labor to act and protect workers from the consequences of the climate crisis.
A new report by KLO calls on legislators to provide a solution for workers affected by the climate crisis in light of the rising number of victims while adopting good practices already implemented worldwide. To this end, the Ministry of Labor must roll up its sleeves, use measurements from the Israel Meteorological Service, explicitly define when it is forbidden to work, determine the extent of rest required during strenuous outdoor activity, determine how work should be carried out in extreme climatic conditions and when it should be completely prohibited – and ensure that the regulations are implemented in practice through supervision and enforcement and by imposing appropriate sanctions on employers who violate these provisions.
It is inconceivable that employers are allowed to make decisions concerning human life, and that the safety and health of workers depends only upon their goodwill.
Yours,
Kav Laoved