The Impact of Workplace Heat and Cold on Work Time Loss (June 2025)-The Impact of Workplace Heat and Cold on Work Time Loss

The Impact of Workplace Heat and Cold on Work Time Loss

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The study investigates the impact of workplace heat and cold on work time loss through extensive field experiments conducted from 2016 to 2024 across multiple countries. The research involved detailed video recordings and second-by-second analysis of 603 full work shifts, amounting to over 16 million seconds of observation. The study introduced the Workplace Environmental Labor Loss (WELL) functions, which established a U-shaped relationship showing minimal work time loss at an optimal temperature of 18°C (64°F). Loss increased with temperatures deviating from this optimum.<br /><br />The research highlights that both extreme heat and cold disrupt work time, particularly affecting climate-vulnerable industries such as agriculture, construction, and tourism. These conditions not only alter the time workers dedicate to actual labor versus non-labor activities but also have broader implications for food security and global economic productivity. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding these impacts to inform climate and economic models, given the escalating implications of climate change on working conditions.<br /><br />Data collected showed that significant work time is lost due to thermal conditions that were not previously expected to have such an impact. Unlike prior studies from the 1960s that primarily informed past guidelines, this contemporary study presents that workers can lose productive time even in moderate thermal environments. The WELL functions provide a new tool for future modeling, highlighting lesser but more widespread loss than previously assumed, thus challenging existing assumptions about heat and cold on labor productivity.<br /><br />The research underlines the necessity of recalibrating labor productivity models to reflect current working conditions and prompts a reevaluation of policies to protect worker health and productivity, especially in light of ongoing climate shifts.

Keywords

workplace heat

cold impact

work time loss

field experiments

WELL functions

climate-vulnerable industries

labor productivity

climate change

thermal conditions

economic models