Climate Change: An Issue That Should Be Part of Workers’ Information and Training Duties Envisaged by EU Directives on Occupational Health and Safety

Abstract

The impact of climate change on the physical environment, ecosystems, and human societies is increasingly recognized as the most important global challenge. Climate change may alter, among others, the thermal environment, the occurrence of extreme weather events, and the human exposure to physical, chemical, and biological pollutants, thus affecting human health with several potential outcomes. The impact of climate change on occupational health and safety has been receiving increasing attention in last years. In the European Union, the health and safety of workers is under the rule of Directive 89/391 and its daughters. In a changing climate, compliance with all requirements of the existing EU regulation entails an additional effort to implement preventive and protective measures. A central role in workers’ health protection is played by proper workers’ information and training, which is partly in charge of the occupational physicians. This paper provides a basic proposal on topics related to climate change to update workers’ information and training and to integrate the curricula of occupational physicians. Importantly, suitable information and training may contribute to promoting workers’ health and to implement adaptation measures, which are part of the individual, societal, and global responses to climate change.

Keywords

• climate change
• information and training
• occupational health