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Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Disaster Preparedness / Preventing Heatstroke During Power Outages, Knowing the Signs
When the power goes out during a typhoon or if there is a power outage in the summer, air conditioners will not work, increasing the risk of heatstroke. Power outages can last for a long time, and it is necessary to know how to keep cool without relying on electrical appliances. You should also keep in mind what to do if you suspect heatstroke. ***According to the Japan Meteorological Agency's three-month forecast, the average nationwide temperature from June through August is expected to be higher than usual. 'In recent years, the summer heat has been extremely severe, and it is essential to take measures to prevent heatstroke on a regular basis,' said preparation and disaster prevention advisor Tomoya Takani. 'Consider preparations with goods that you usually use to prevent heatstroke.' Such items include portable fans that come with a battery and can be used even during power outages. However, fans will blow hot air in a room without air conditioning, which may increase the risk of heatstroke. If you wet your T-shirt with water, you can use the evaporation to cool your body. Power banks that are used to charge smartphones can also charge portable fans. If the power bank uses AA or AAA batteries, you can use the batteries from a TV remote or other device. In addition, you should also prepare neck coolers and sprays containing cooling ingredients like menthol. Make sure your room is well ventilated. Open at least two windows or doors to improve ventilation. It is important to open windows and doors on opposite sides of the room. Shades and drapes on windows can help prevent heat from direct sunlight. Clothing should be made of breathable and quick-drying materials such as polyester. 'Prepare for disaster while making good use of convenient tools,' said Takani. Measuring danger level 'If you are not used to the heat, you are more likely to suffer heatstroke,' said emergency physician Yasufumi Miyake, director of the Organization on Development and Progress for Education in Clinical Medicine. 'If the air conditioning is suddenly disabled in a disaster, the risk increases dramatically.' The risk level of heatstroke can be determined by the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which is the index calculated from data such as temperature, humidity and solar radiation. According to the guidelines of the Japanese Society of Biometeorology, the WBGT index indicates a 'Severe Warning' for heatstroke between 28 C and 31 C, and when the index is 31 C or higher, the warning rises to 'Danger.' Miyake recommends installing a heatstroke meter or other device that displays the WBGT index at home to assess the risk of heatstroke. The Japan Meteorological Agency issues a 'heatstroke alert' when the WBGT index is estimated to be 33 C or higher. 'On days when temperatures are expected to rise, consider evacuating to a shelter with an emergency power supply or to an air-conditioned car, and take action as soon as possible,' said Miyake. You should also be aware of the symptoms of heatstroke. These include feeling dizzy, numbness in the arms and legs, a headache and nausea. If the person is barely conscious or unable to speak, call an ambulance as soon as possible. If the person can speak, move them to a shady area, give them water and salt and cool their neck and armpits. If their symptoms do not improve, have the person seek medical attention. 'If you notice anything unusual, suspect heatstroke,' said Miyake.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Health
- Euronews
When is it too hot to work?
From Italy's farms to Germany's warehouses and beyond, soaring summer temperatures pose serious health risks to workers across Europe. Heat stress can cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and death, even hours or days later. The strain the body puts on itself trying to keep cool can also cause kidney problems and worsen heart disease, respiratory issues, and mental health. These risks came to the fore during brutal heatwaves earlier this summer, when a 51-year-old street cleaner in Barcelona collapsed and died hours after finishing her shift. Spanish authorities are investigating whether the heatwave caused her death. Unlike other environmental health hazards such as air pollution, there are no uniform rules on heat exposure for workers in the European Union, leaving member countries to make their own laws. But when is it actually too hot to work – and what can workers do to protect their health during heatwaves? Understand the risks High temperatures are not the only health risk during heatwaves. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is considered a better signal of heat stress for physically active workers because it takes into account heat, humidity, wind, and sunlight. The WBGT includes four threat levels: low, elevated, moderate, high, and extreme. Depending on the region, temperatures above 29 to 32 degrees Celsius are considered extreme threats to workers' wellbeing, raising the risk of heat illness significantly. Extreme heat is more dangerous for people working outside in physically demanding jobs, for example construction workers, agriculture workers, and emergency services. But indoor employees – including those who work in offices – can also face risks, particularly if they are in poorly cooled or ventilated buildings, according to EU-OSHA. Globally, extreme heat kills nearly 19,000 workers per year, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the EU has seen a 42 per cent increase in heat-related workplace deaths since 2000. Pay attention and take action Many people may not realise they are at risk of heat stress, particularly if they are young and otherwise fit, warned Alessandro Marinaccio, research director of the occupational and environmental epidemiology unit at the nonprofit National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL) in Italy. 'There is a lack of awareness about the risk for the health of workers due to occupational exposure to extreme temperature,' Marinaccio told Euronews Health. His team developed a tool to map daily risk levels for workers in Italy, depending on how physically strenuous their job is and whether they work in the sun or the shade. Health experts say workers should also pay attention to their physical symptoms. 'Workers should be mindful of elements such as dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea, muscle cramps, fainting, and confusion,' said Ignacio Doreste, a senior advisor at the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which represents labour groups. If you are feeling symptoms of heat stress, stop working, drink water, remove unnecessary clothing, and sit down in a cool, shaded area. If you cannot cool down within 30 minutes, seek emergency medical care. Know your rights Several EU countries have rules to protect workers from heat stress, including Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, France, and Italy. In France, for example, employers must make fresh drinking water available to workers and adapt their workplaces and working hours to protect them from extreme heat. In parts of Italy, the government banned outdoor working during the hottest hours of the day during the last major heatwave in July. Generally, countries with heat-related laws set work limits of around 29 to 30 degrees Celsius for high-intensity work, 30 to 31 degrees for moderate work, and 31.5 to 32.5 degrees for light work, according to the ILO. The EU also mandates that employers protect workers' health and safety from occupational risks overall, though there is no specific legislation on heat stress. Across the EU, 'whenever a worker is facing a threat to his own physical integrity, they have the right not to work,' Doreste told Euronews Health. But 'enforcement is extremely needed,' he added, especially because 'diseases related to occupational heat are commonly underreported'. The ETUC has called for new laws to protect EU-based workers during heatwaves, including the right to medical examinations and the right to skip work without consequences if an employee believes working in extreme heat will put them at risk. If you are unsure about your rights during a heatwave, check your work contract or consult with your company representatives or trade union.
Qatar Tribune
13-07-2025
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
Japan mandates heatstroke protection for workers
Agencies Companies in Japan are now required to take steps to protect their employees against heatstroke, with the government imposing new rules in response to the steadily increasing number of deaths in recent years attributed to the worsening summer heat. Under a revised ordinance that took effect on June 1, businesses will be penalized if they fail to act after investigations found many deaths resulted from delayed detection of symptoms and inadequate responses. Companies are required to take measures for staff working for 60 consecutive minutes or for four hours per day in temperatures exceeding 31 C, or at 28 C or above on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature -- a global heat index calculated based on multiple factors including humidity. Under the rules, companies must designate a person at each workplace to be responsible for reporting possible heatstroke cases among staff. Business operators must also set up procedures to prevent the worsening of symptoms, such as having an employee immediately stop working, cooling the person down and ensuring medical support is provided. Employers are required to inform their workforce of the arrangements. In the event of a breach, penalties include up to six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to 500,000 yen, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. The number of deaths caused by heatstroke at workplaces hit 31 in 2024, exceeding 30 for the third straight year, as Japan logged its equal-hottest summer since comparable data became available in 1898. The number of workplace deaths and injuries related to heatstroke in 2024 was a record-high 1,257, the ministry analysis of 103 heatstroke deaths between 2020 and 2023 found 70 percent of victims were working outdoors, while 78 cases saw delayed detection of symptoms contributing to the death. Taku Furukawa, a lawyer with expertise in workplace heatstroke compensation cases, stressed companies need to seriously consider the risk posed by the physical intensity of tasks being performed, in addition to monitoring the temperature and time spent working, saying prevention is key.
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Indian Express
Infantino promises retractable roofs for 2026 FIFA World Cup, but can they douse the heat
Complaints of excessive heat have been soaring as much as the temperature itself at the Club World Cup, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino assured that stadiums with roofs will be used to ease concerns over severe weather at the World Cup in 2026. In a media conference at FIFA's new office in New York, he said: 'Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better.' 'Of course the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris, games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions. Cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year,' he added. But there are two roadblocks. A) Only four of the stadiums in the US have retractable roofs. B) Many of them are NFL stadiums designed for winter—to retain the heat rather than out. Add the heavy watering of grass laid over the artificial turn and the humidity inside the stadium could rise. So the purpose of hosting games in indoor facilities could turn counterproductive, unless they are air-conditioned as it was in early stages of the Qatar World Cup in 2022. From more frequent breaks to rescheduling games to suit the weather than broadcast schedules, there has been a war-cry from players to coaches and officials to tame the heat that could potentially affect the marquee event next year. Not just football, baseball too was affected by stifling heat, triggered by a heat dome, which occurs when a large area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere acts as a reservoir that traps heat and humidity. A fortnight ago, Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz and Seattle Mariners' Trent Thornton fell ill. De La Cruz vomited on the field with two outs in the fourth inning of Cincinnati's extra-inning loss at the St Louis Cardinals. 'I actually watched him. He drank a bunch of water. I mean a bunch,' Reds manager Terry Francona said. 'And then he went right out and got rid of it.' FIFPRO, the global representative organisation for 65,000 professional footballers have been repeatedly requesting FIFA to put commercial ambitions behind for players' safety. 'We clearly believe that from a health and safety perspective, this [extreme heat] is something that must take priority over commercial interests with regards to the safety of the players,' Alexander Bielefeld, director of policy and strategic relations, said on a conference call about extreme heat at the Club World Cup. 'Heat conditions are not happening in a vacuum. The debate on extreme heat is not happening in a vacuum. It's actually quite foreseeable.' he said. The organisation has been urging FIFA to lower the temperature at which cooling breaks are mandated to 78.8F on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature gauge (WBGT) and set a limit at which games are to be delayed or postponed at 82.4F. Some climatologists want to lower the threshold, taking into account the players' safety. Christopher Tyler, a reader in Environmental Physiology at the University of Roehampton, recently told The Athletic: 'FIFA would argue that it works because they haven't seen enough medical complications at that temperature or above, but the argument against that is that players are probably slowing down and changing how they are playing, so they're not getting ill. 32°C/89.6F is high compared to many other sports as a threshold from a safety point of view, but also, it will eventually compromise the quality of the game as well.' he said.
Straits Times
13-07-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
New rules force companies in Japan to address heatstroke crisis
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox TOKYO - Companies in Japan are now required to take steps to protect their employees against heatstroke, with the government imposing new rules in response to the steadily increasing number of deaths in recent years attributed to the worsening summer heat. Under a revised ordinance that took effect on June 1, businesses will be penalised if they fail to act after investigations found many deaths resulted from delayed detection of symptoms and inadequate responses. Companies are required to take measures for staff working for 60 consecutive minutes or for four hours per day in temperatures exceeding 31 deg C, or at 28 deg C or above on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature – a global heat index calculated based on multiple factors including humidity. Under the rules, companies must designate a person at each workplace to be responsible for reporting possible heatstroke cases among staff. Business operators must also set up procedures to prevent the worsening of symptoms, such as having an employee immediately stop working, cooling the person down and ensuring medical support is provided. Employers are required to inform their workforce of the arrangements. In the event of a breach, penalties include up to six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to 500,000 yen (S$4,352), Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. The number of deaths caused by heatstroke at workplaces hit 31 in 2024, exceeding 30 for the third straight year, as Japan logged its equal-hottest summer since comparable data became available in 1898. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Government looking at enhancing laws around vaping to tackle issue of drug-laced vapes in Singapore Singapore Why the vape scourge in Singapore concerns everyone Singapore I lost my daughter to Kpod addiction: Father of 19-year-old shares heartbreak and lessons Singapore Organised crime groups pushing drug-laced vapes in Asia including Singapore: UN Singapore Govt will continue to support families, including growing group of seniors: PM Wong at PCF Family Day Singapore From Normal stream to Parliament: 3 Singapore politicians share their journeys Business 29 Jollibean workers get help from MOM, other agencies, over unpaid salaries Asia Why China's high-end hotels are setting up food stalls outside their doors The number of workplace deaths and injuries related to heatstroke in 2024 was a record-high 1,257, the ministry said. An analysis of 103 heatstroke deaths between 2020 and 2023 found 70 per cent of victims were working outdoors, while 78 cases saw delayed detection of symptoms contributing to the death. In 41 deaths, it was found there was an inadequate response to the worker's symptoms. Mr Taku Furukawa, a lawyer with expertise in workplace heatstroke compensation cases, stressed companies need to seriously consider the risk posed by the physical intensity of tasks being performed, in addition to monitoring the temperature and time spent working, saying prevention is key. KYODO NEWS
