Heat stress and climate ready workplaces: advancing occupational health in a warming world

Rising temperatures and intensifying heatwaves due to climate change have made occupational heat stress a serious and growing concern for worker safety, health, and productivity around the globe. Numerous sectors—including agriculture, construction, manufacturing, transport, and emergency services—face escalating risks, with heat exposure compounding other workplace hazards and disproportionately affecting vulnerable and marginalized groups. Recent research highlights the complex interplay of environmental, physical, behavioral, and organizational factors contributing to heat-induced illnesses, injuries, and productivity losses. Despite increased recognition of these challenges, there remain critical gaps in understanding effective intervention strategies, inequities in risk and access to protections, and in translating evidence into actionable policy and practice. This underscores the urgent need for multidisciplinary approaches to build workplaces that are resilient to present and future climate risks.

This Research Topic aims to generate and gather evidence-based insights into developing, implementing, and evaluating occupational health and safety interventions to mitigate the risks of heat stress and foster climate-ready workplaces. The objective is to bridge research from fields such as environmental health, occupational safety, ergonomics, organizational psychology, public health, engineering, and policy. Key aims include understanding exposure–health relationships, exploring contextual determinants of heat vulnerability, assessing the effectiveness and scalability of technical, organizational, and behavioral interventions, and translating findings to guide guidelines and policy. Bringing together diverse perspectives, this collection endeavors to inform decision-makers and practitioners, support progress towards the United Nationals Social Development Goals 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and contribute toward workplaces where health, dignity, and performance can thrive under climate change.

The scope of this Research Topic encompasses studies and evidence on heat exposure and climate-readiness in working populations, with an emphasis on practical interventions to improve workplace safety and worker well-being. All submissions should align with the Occupational Safety and Health Interventions section's focus on detailed, in-depth knowledge and actionable outcomes to improve occupational environments.

We welcome the following article types (but are not limited to):

• Original research and epidemiological studies on heat exposure, health, and productivity
• Intervention trials, implementation research, and program evaluations targeting heat stress
• Research on guidelines, standards, and policy for managing occupational heat risk
• Studies in high-risk and essential sectors (e.g., agriculture, construction, emergency services, healthcare, transport, informal work)
• Engineering and technical solutions (cooling, architecture, PPE, environmental monitoring)
• Organizational and psychosocial interventions (shift design, work-rest cycles, training, participatory approaches)
• Climate modelling or projections relevant to occupational heat and economic impacts
• Equity-focused research (vulnerable or marginalized worker groups, low-resource settings)

All article types accepted by Frontiers in Environmental Health—including original research, reviews, case studies, and brief reports—are welcome, provided they advance understanding and practice of occupational health interventions for heat stress and climate change.