ORCID

Alain Marchand : 0000-0002-0996-7141

Type de document

États de la question, rapports d'expertise et revues de littérature

Année de publication

2026

Langue

Anglais

Résumé

This narrative review describes the multidimensional impacts of climate change (CC) on occupational health and safety (OHS), with a focus on the North American and European contexts. The rise in the average global temperature, which is now 1.2 °C higher than during the pre-industrial era, is transforming working conditions and exacerbating existing occupational hazards. The heat stress induced by excessive heat causes pathologies ranging from exhaustion to fatal heatstroke, while also lowering vigilance and increasing the risk of traumatic injury. Beyond the physical harms, CC increases the psychosocial risks, leading to eco-anxiety, psychological distress and a decline in workers’ emotional well-being. The intensification of extreme weather events, such as flooding, intense heat waves and forest fires, threatens the health and safety of first responders and leads to major economic losses in primary sectors (e.g., agriculture, livestock farming, forestry) by reducing revenues, weakening the viability of farming operations and lowering workforce productivity. At the same time, global warming promotes the geographic expansion of biological vectors, thus increasing the incidence of illnesses such as Lyme disease or a West Nile virus infection. The deterioration in air quality, marked by an increase in tropospheric ozone and fine particles, increases the risk of cardiopulmonary disorders and cancers. Likewise, increased exposure to solar UV radiation has been identified as a major cause of skin cancer in outdoor workers.

ISBN

9782897973599

Mots-clés

Changement climatique, Climate change, Global Warming, Santé et sécurité du travail, Occupational health and safety, Climat et phénomène naturel, Climate and natural phenomena, Risque d'atteinte à la santé, Health hazard, Température extrême, Extreme temperature, Zoonose, Coup de chaleur, Heat stroke, Environnement, Environment, Critère de risque, Hazard criteria, Planification de la sécurité, Safety planning, Rayonnement ultraviolet, Ultraviolet radiation, Conditions météorologiques, Weather, Organisation de la prévention, Safety and health organisation, Risque biologique, Biological hazard, Aspect psychosocial, Psychosocial aspect, Suggestion de prévention, Safety suggestion, Trouble dû à la chaleur, Heat stress disease, Ambiance thermique, Thermal environment, Adaptation, Coping, Chaleur, Heat, Pollution atmosphérique, Atmospheric pollution, Thermorégulation, Regulation of body temperature, Acclimatation à la chaleur, Heat acclimatisation, Charge thermique, Heat load, Effet thermique, Thermal effect, Lieu de travail chaud, Hot workplace

Numéro de projet IRSST

n/a

Numéro de publication IRSST

QR-1240-en

Licence Creative Commons

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License
Cette œuvre est mise à disposition selon les termes d'une licence Creative Commons.

Télécharger

Partager

COinS