According to a recent study, the heat wave and humidity levels in the tropics are too high for outdoor laborers who perform heavy lifting, particularly in the construction, agricultural, fishing, and forestry industries.
This is causing tropical regions to lose money and is harmful to the health of those who work outside.
According to the study, outdoor workers’ annual cost of lost labor productivity due to heat ranges from several hundred billion to over two trillion dollars. Up to one billion outdoor workers live in tropical regions.
According to the study, about 800 million people would lose more than half of their working hours every year if the tropics warmed by 1°C. Because of the ensuing decline in labor productivity and pay, outdoor workers would become involved in a cycle of poverty.
The estimated numbers are underestimated since it ignores people who work in informal manufacturing and perform other household chores like gathering firewood and water. Approximately 60%–70% of workers worldwide are engaged in the informal economy; in emerging and developing nations, this percentage is closer to 67% and 90% for workers over the age of 15.
The tropics is the geographical area between 30° latitude north and south of the equator. It includes tropical forests, mangrove-dotted coastal regions, and barren deserts. The majority of the world’s poor reside in this region.
According to MetMalaysia, the heat wave, with temperatures between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. MetMalaysia expected this phenomenon to last at least three days.
On April 7, the department issued a statewide heat advisory, predicting that seven places would see temperatures between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days while the rest of the area would see temperatures between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius.
According to the department, as the nation enters the monsoon transition season. The hot and dry weather will gradually ease by mid-April. Strong winds and heavy rain will accompany it, which could result in flash floods.
Heat affects human health in both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) ways. Its physiological consequences impact work capacity and productivity.
The human body reacts to heat by redistributing blood flow to the skin, where it is released into the atmosphere through blood vessel dilatation, perspiration, and evaporative heat loss. Heat raises the need for oxygen in the heart, but if it rises above acceptable bounds, it may cause cardiac arrest or collapse.
Dehydration also reduces blood volume and can worsen the harmful effects of heat on productivity. It lowers skilled motor performance and cognitive function, which can impact productivity and the caliber of a job.
In addition, dehydration raises the risk of acute kidney injury. It worsens pulmonary stress and lung damage, especially in people with underlying lung diseases.
The National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) has reported 27 cases of heat-related illnesses across the country.
The agency stated in a briefing that Pahang had one reported heat stroke death. It provided no other information about the matter, according to Bernama.
Mitigation strategies
The study proposes innovative strategies to help outdoor workers cope with humid weather, such as encouraging flexible work schedules and giving breaks to help workers adjust to the heat’s effects.
The study also looks at how to better protect health and adapt tropical workers to the effects of climate change. The recommended treatments include land-use planning (e.g., avoiding deforestation), government-level heat action plans, adaptive administrative actions (e.g., frequent rest breaks, heat-adjusted pace, etc.), and decreasing heat exposure inbuilt settings (e.g., urban greening).
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