NGO calls for legislation to protect outdoor laborers from effects of climate change
The Workers’ Hotline fears rising temperatures, extreme weather events, will compound risks already faced in farming, sanitation, building, gardening, infrastructure work
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
Israel is “silent” when it comes to the impact of climate change on outdoor workers, many of whom are foreign laborers, Palestinians, Israelis from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and migrants and asylum seekers, according to a new position paper published in English on Thursday by the Workers’ Hotline (Kav LeOved).
While the Labor Ministry last month issued a guide to reduce workers’ exposure to risks such as heat stress, with recommendations such as work rotation, breaks, worker training, and encouraging hydration, there is currently “no regulatory obligation in the labor market to review alerts or adhere to safety and health regulations tailored to heat stress, radiation levels, wind strength, air pollution, and other factors relevant to the workplace,” the report says.
Last year, Israel Electric Corporation employee Nir Dekel, 54, was killed at the Rutenberg power station on the southern Mediterranean coast near Ashkelon when strong winds brought down the crane he was working on.
According to the hotline, workers in sectors such as construction already face risks due to a lack of supervision. The number of laborers killed in Israeli construction sites is 2.5 times larger than that of the European Union (per 100,000 workers), the organization says, using its own occupational accidents database because the state does not have one.
The hotline fears that dangerous conditions could be exacerbated by severe heat and extreme weather events, which are increasing in intensity and frequency due to climate change.
The hotline’s paper describes the risks as identified by the International Labor Organization.
These are exposure to solar radiation, specifically ultraviolet radiation, heat stress (overheating), air pollution, and an expected increase in pests such as ticks and mosquitoes.
Despite this, says the hotline, the most recent version of Israel’s Work Safety Ordinance, 1970, does not specify permitted levels of exposure to heat or radiation. Nor does it require regular testing of employees working in extreme conditions. While there are rules on the clothing a worker must wear in the sun, there are no criteria for when it is safe or risky to work in such conditions. Furthermore, the regulations do not apply to gardening, sanitation, and cleaning.
According to the paper, the ordinance does relate to climbing up infrastructure or working at a height in extreme weather conditions but leaves the decision about continuing to work to the contractor and does not define dangerous conditions.
The hotline, which tries to protect the most vulnerable workers in Israel, notes that jobs on the front line of climate change tend to be taken by Israelis from the lowest socio-economic layers, Palestinians, and foreign laborers from countries such as Thailand in the case of farming, and China, Turkey, Romania, and India on construction sites.
People working for agencies in jobs such as gardening and cleaning often include migrant workers and asylum seekers, the organization says.
Other groups at risk of the effects of climate change because of work outside include inspectors and people working in infrastructure-related fields such as electricity, water, and communications.
The report notes that various sources of climate information are available, for example, at the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS).
However, it says that while the Health and Education Ministries use IMS data to provide guidance on outside school activities or risks to children and youth, the Labor Ministry does not require employers to use such tools to protect workers.
The report concludes that “while the State of Israel lags far behind OECD countries in reducing emissions and preparing its economy for the climate crisis and its consequences, it also “remains silent regarding the impact of the crisis on workplace safety and health.”
The organization calls for clear rules, defined in advance and based on professional knowledge, which specify which hours are unsuitable for work, how much rest should be taken during strenuous activity, how the work should be carried out in extreme climate conditions, and when it should be prohibited entirely.
“These decisions should not be left at the sole discretion of the foreperson in the field, whose interests often conflict with those of the workers,” it says.
Among the hotline’s recommendations are creating an information hub based on existing sources, funding worker training and information, and supervising and enforcing health and safety rules.
Diana Baron, the Workers’ Hotline’s public policy manager, who wrote the report, told The Times of Israel that Israel had not yet ratified two key International Labor Organization conventions on occupational safety and health.
