Extreme Heat Linked to Higher Worker Death Rates in Colombia

People working in metal and machinery trades, stationary plant and machine operations, mining, construction, manufacturing and transport also showed relatively high mortality risks.

Rising temperatures are being linked to a measurable increase in deaths among working-age people in Colombia, with new International Labour Organization research showing that the danger becomes greater as temperatures climb and varies sharply depending on a person's occupation. Workers in agriculture, assembly, healthcare, teaching, construction and other physically demanding fields were among those facing heightened risks, raising concerns about how workplaces will protect people as extreme heat becomes more frequent.

The ILO working paper, Climate-Related Heat Stress and Occupational Mortality in Colombia, examined death records for people aged 15 to 59 between 2017 and 2021 alongside meteorological observations and labour force information. Researchers studied 297 municipalities covering about 59 per cent of Colombia's population, allowing them to compare mortality patterns with monthly maximum temperatures.

Death rates rise as temperatures climb above 26°C

Across occupations, months recording maximum temperatures between 26°C and 32°C were associated with 0.04 additional deaths per 1,000 workers compared with months when maximum temperatures stayed below 26°C. Once maximum temperatures moved above 32°C, the estimate increased to 0.09 additional deaths per 1,000 workers.

The averages hide much larger differences between occupations. Assemblers recorded the highest estimated rate when temperatures exceeded 32°C, at 1.33 deaths per 1,000 workers. Health associate professionals followed at 0.40, agricultural workers at 0.26 and teaching professionals at 0.21 deaths per 1,000 workers.

People working in metal and machinery trades, stationary plant and machine operations, mining, construction, manufacturing and transport also showed relatively high mortality risks. Working outdoors is one obvious source of exposure, though heat produced by machinery, poorly ventilated workplaces, heavy physical activity and protective clothing can make indoor jobs dangerous as temperatures rise.

Researchers cautioned that the impact on agricultural workers could be underestimated because weather stations have less coverage in remote and rural locations where many people in the sector live and work.

Heat risks differ between men, women and occupations

Men experienced higher heat-associated mortality overall, with temperatures above 32°C linked to approximately 0.12 deaths per 1,000 male workers across all occupations, more than twice the estimated rate among women.

The gender picture changes when individual occupations are examined. Female health associate professionals emerged as a particularly vulnerable group, recording an estimated 0.48 deaths per 1,000 workers when maximum temperatures exceeded 32°C. Women represent roughly two-thirds of workers in this occupational category, making workplace heat protection especially relevant for the sector.

Researchers pointed to several possible reasons for differences in vulnerability, including physical workload, time spent outdoors, workplace ventilation, heat generated during production and the need to wear personal protective equipment. These conditions can combine with high environmental temperatures and make it harder for the body to cool itself during a working day.

Better workplace protection becomes more urgent

The findings point towards practical measures employers and authorities can use to reduce heat exposure. These include assessing heat risks at individual workplaces, ensuring reliable access to drinking water, providing more frequent rest periods and cool or ventilated rest areas, adapting working hours during dangerous temperatures and giving workers suitable protective equipment.

Training, gradual acclimatization to hot conditions and regular health monitoring could also help identify problems before they become life-threatening. The study stresses the value of workers and employers participating in decisions through social dialogue, since people doing the jobs often have direct knowledge of where heat exposure is most severe.

Access to protection remains uneven. Colombia's general health insurance system covers almost 99 per cent of the population, yet only about 53 per cent of workers were covered by the occupational risk system in December 2024. People in informal employment can therefore face workplace hazards without the same level of employment-related protection.

With climate change increasing the frequency and intensity of high temperatures, the research suggests workplace heat can no longer be treated simply as seasonal discomfort. For many Colombian workers, managing heat exposure is becoming an occupational safety issue with potentially deadly consequences.