Extreme Heat Hits Different Under Climate Change: A Review of Risks and Legal Protections for Agricultural Workers in Canada and the United States.

Abstract

Purpose of review: This paper synthesizes recent research about the impacts of climate change on farmworkers and analyzes notable features of existing laws in Canada and the United States designed to protect farmworkers from extreme heat.

Recent findings: Extreme heat presents a widespread and urgent threat to the wellbeing and productivity of agricultural workers globally, and it amplifies occupational exposures such as pesticides and air pollution. Other extreme weather events such as wildfires and flooding also heighten risks to agricultural workers. In Canada and the United States, laws designed to protect workers from extreme heat are limited to a handful of jurisdictions. Laws that regulate working in extreme heat are one tool to protect farmworkers from climate change. Important features of these laws include trigger temperatures at which extreme heat measures are required and heat-specific measures related to hydration, acclimatization and administrative controls. More research is needed to better understand how effective these laws are at protecting workers on the ground.