Worker health and safety and climate change in the Americas: issues and research needs

Salud y seguridad laboral y cambio climático en las Américas: temas clave y necesidades de inves¬tigación

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Kiefer, M., Rodríguez-Guzmán, J., Watson, J., Joode, B. van W. de, Mergler, D., & Silva, A. S. da. (2016). Worker health and safety and climate change in the Americas: issues and research needs [Journal articles]. https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/31236
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2016
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This report summarizes and discusses current knowledge on the impact that climate change can have on occupational safety and health (OSH), with a particular focus on the Americas. Worker safety and health issues are presented on topics related to specific stressors (e.g., temperature extremes), climate associated impacts (e.g., ice melt in the Arctic), and a health condition associated with climate change (chronic kidney disease of non-traditional etiology). The article discusses research needs, including hazards, surveillance, and risk assessment activities to better characterize and understand how OSH may be associated with climate change events. Also discussed are the actions that OSH professionals can take to ensure worker health and safety in the face of climate change.
En este informe se resume y analiza el conocimiento actual sobre el impacto que el cambio climático puede tener sobre la seguridad y la salud laboral, en particular en la Región de las Américas. Se presentan temas clave de salud y seguridad de los trabajadores relacionados con factores de estrés específicos (por ej., temperaturas extremas), impactos asociados al clima (por ej., derretimiento de hielo en el Ártico) y una enfermedad asociada con el cambio climático (enfermedad renal crónica de etiología no tradicional). En el artículo se analizan las necesidades de investigación, incluso los peligros, la vigilancia y las actividades de evaluación de riesgo a fin de caracterizar y comprender mejor cómo la seguridad y la salud laboral se asocial con los sucesos del cambio climático. También se analizan las acciones que pueden emprender los profesionales de este campo para garantizar la salud y la seguridad de los trabajadores ante el cambio climático.
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Kiefer M, Rodríguez-Guzmán J, Watson J, van Wendel de Joode B, Mergler D, Soares da Silva A. Worker health and safety and climate change in the Americas: issues and research needs. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2016;40(3):192–97
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