Heatwave Alert! How Blue-Collar Workers Are Bearing the Brunt of Soaring Temperatures - Explained

The Ministry of Labour and Employment has issued heatwave advisory in a letter to all administrators of states and Union Territories to take urgent steps to safeguard blue-collar workers from extreme heatwave conditions.

The states and union territories have also been advised by the labour ministry to issue directions to employers, occupiers, industries and construction companies to implement effective heatwave mitigation measures for workers. The ministry has recommended rescheduling work hours, ensuring drinking water, providing shade and ventilation, conducting health check-ups, and supplying ice packs and heat safety materials.

Moreover, affiliated bodies (DGLW, CLC, DTNBWED, VVGNLI, DGFASLI, DGMS and ESIC) have been advised to hold heat‑stress awareness sessions and embed heatwave‑specific content in worker training modules. Hospitals and dispensaries under DGLW and ESIC have been instructed to establish heat‑stroke desks and stock ORS, ice packs and other essential heat‑illness supplies.

Wrath of Intense Heatwaves

The early onset of summers has left India battered with soaring temperatures with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by 2-3 degrees Celsius across northwest India over the next four days, alongside heatwave conditions in several parts of the country. A yellow alert has been issued for South Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Vidarbha till April 25.

In its latest update, IMD has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall from April 21 to April 26 in Assam and Meghalaya, while Arunachal Pradesh is likely to experience similar conditions from April 22 to April 26. The met department has predicted isolated heavy rainfall for Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura on April 21 and April 23.

According to IMD, thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 30-40 kmph are likely across the region over the next seven days. While there is relief for the northeast, there exists another part, especially across the nation’s heartlands which are experiencing the wrath of intense heatwaves.

Scorching Impact on Industry

According to a study published in the journal One Earth, heat has both near-term (i.e., acute) and longer-term (i.e., chronic) effects on human health. The human body responds to heat by redistributing blood flow to the skin, where heat is transferred to the environment through dilation of blood vessels or vasodilation, and through sweating and evaporative heat loss. It increases the cardiac oxygen demand and when this demand crosses safe limits, this could lead to cardiac arrest or collapse.

Moreover, dehydration decreases blood volume and can compound these effects. This can also lead to reduced cognitive function and skilled motor performance, affecting the pace and quality of work.

Millions of workers who are employed in factories and mines without protection from heat are at the receiving end of soaring temperatures and experts also believe that they are at risk of slowing in India’s vital manufacturing sector.

According to a study by the International Labour Organization, a 2.2% of global working hours will be lost to high temperatures by 2030. In India, as per a 2022 World Bank report, up to 75% of India’s workforce or 380 million people, depend on the heat-exposed labour. Heat stress also results in an economic loss of 3% to 5% of GDP in many countries including India with nearly 6% of work hours in India lost to heat stress in 2023, reported The Hindu.  

Furthermore, India lost more than $141 billion worth of income due to heat in 2023, as per a 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown for India. The agricultural sector was the most affected, with more than $71.9 billion in potential losses. While the potential labour hours lost due to heat exposure in 2023 amounted to 181 billion — 50% increase from the 1990-1999 average.

According to Copernicus Climate Change Service, March was the second warmest on record and it was the 20^th time in the last 21 months that the average global surface air temperature was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above the monthly pre-industrial level, reported HT.

This rise in temperature is pinching factories that run furnaces, boilers and other heat-generating equipment. Commenting on the impact of exposure to severe heatwaves on workers, Dr. Yudhyavir Singh, Associate Professor of critical care at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences told Mint that severe heatwaves pose serious health risks and significantly affect workers’ productivity.