Effects of heat on workers’ health and productivity in Taiwan
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: The impact of global warming on population health is a growing concern and has been widely discussed. The issue of heat stress disorders and consequent productivity reduction among workers has not yet been widely addressed. Taiwan is an island straddling the Tropic of Cancer in the West Pacific and has both subtropical and tropical climates. As of 2008, the economy of Taiwan accounts for 1.1% of the world gross domestic product at purchasing power parity and is listed as 19th in the world and eighth in Asia, according to International Monetary Fund data. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to identify occupations at risk and the potential health impacts of heat on workers in Taiwan. DESIGN: Historical data relating to meteorology, population, the labour force and economy were obtained from publicly available databases from the Taiwanese government. RESULTS: Hot seasons with an average maximum temperature above 30 degrees C and relative humidity above 74%, lasting for four to six months from May to October, pose health threats to construction, farming and fishery workers. In particular, populations of ageing farmers and physically overloaded construction workers are the two most vulnerable worker categories in which high temperature impacts on health and productivity. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, regulations and preventive actions for heat relief are difficult to enforce for several reasons, including lack of equipment for measuring environmental conditions, lack of awareness of potential hazards and strict time constraints imposed on workers. There is an urgent need to systematically and comprehensively assess the impact of a warming climate on workers' health and productivity to provide effective prevention strategies for a better working and living environment in Taiwan.
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In Taiwan between 2004 and 2007, the perceived risk of excessive heat in the workplace was highest among workers from the construction industry.
“Research conducted in Taiwan between 2004 and 2007 by Lin and Chan (2009) [15] found that the perceived risk of excessive heat in the workplace was highest among the workers from the construction industry.”
From Assessing Heat Stress and Health among Construction Workers in a Changing Climate: A Review (2018) · cites this paper as [15]
In “Occupations and industries at risk of heat stress in Taiwan” (page unavailable), the paper reports that 76.3% of construction workers perceived a risk of excessive workplace heat, compared with 71.3% in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Figure 2 covers 2004 and 2007, but the text attributes the perception surveys to the Taiwan Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, not to research conducted by Lin and Chan themselves. (LLM, conf=0.83)
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- Authors
- Lin, R.-T., & Chan, C.-C.
- Affiliations
- National Taiwan University (TW)
- Corresponding author
- Chan, Chang-Chuan
- Venue
- Global Health Action
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2009-11-11
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 2024
- ISSN
- 1654-9716 (ISSN-L)
- 1654-9880
- PMC
- PMC2799321
- OpenAlex
- W2058736175
- Cited by
- 65
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Global Health Action (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
- Keywords
- heat stress, occupational health, labor productivity, global warming, hot season, construction workers, agricultural labor, fishermen, elderly farmers, climate change and health, Taiwan
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