The impact of climate change on safety at work
This page is approximately a 2 minute read
This page was published on
Our World Risk Poll data from 2023 shows that 30% of people globally had experienced a disaster related to a natural hazard in the past five years, up from 27% in 2021. Three types of disasters dominate: flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes.
As climate change and global warming worsen, natural hazards – from heatwaves to floods and tropical storms – will intensify. As well as disrupting communities, climate change has a deep impact on workers’ safety and health, and on the availability and type of work they do. We wanted to understand how climate change affects worker safety in different sectors around the world, and the evidence gaps that still need to be filled.
The quick read
A review of the evidence on the impacts of climate change on worker safety and health found that:
- Climate change is a global phenomenon, but not all regions will be equally affected.
- Approaches to protect workers need both global data and local knowledge to be effective.
- Workers across all sectors will be affected, but not all sectors or occupations carry the same risks or have been researched equally.
- Ocean workers are represented across several high-risk sectors which are particularly affected by climate change including fishing and aquaculture, energy, and transport.
Emerging technologies and materials needed to combat climate change pose new risks to workers. There is a lack of evidence on how to protect workers from climate-change related risks, especially those working in low-and-medium income countries.
More research is needed, especially around effectiveness of interventions and policies in specific contexts. Where evidence exists, it is often limited to one sector or region and needs to be tested and adapted to other contexts so other employers and workers can benefit.
Download the briefing
The impact of climate change on safety at work (briefing)
This report discusses how climate change affects worker safety in different sectors around the world, and the evidence gaps that still need to be filled. (PDF, 4.14MB)
Citation (Briefing)
If you wish to use and reference The Impact of Climate Change on Safety at Work in your own work, please include the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.60743/h5gk-tq84
Example Citation in IEEE Style:
Lloyd's Register Foundation, “The Impact of Climate Change on Safety at Work,” Lloyd's Register Foundation, 2025. doi: 10.60743/H5GK-TQ84.
Download the technical report
The impact of climate change on safety at work (technical report)
This report explores how climate change heightens risks for workers in selected economic sectors, assesses the nature and quality of the available evidence, and identifies research areas where the Centre can add value in this area. (PDF, 0.98MB)
Citation (Technical report)
If you wish to use and reference The Impact of Climate Change on Occupational Safety and Health in Selected Sectors: A Scoping Review in your own work, please include the following DOI: https://doi.org/10.60743/2hzp-j260
Example Citation in IEEE Style:
Lloyd's Register Foundation, “The Impact of Climate Change on Occupational Safety and Health in Selected Sectors: A Scoping Review,” Lloyd's Register Foundation, 2025. doi: 10.60743/2HZP-J260.