The outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia resulted in rapid, sweeping changes to daily life and work. Some of these changes were temporary while others, such as the use of face masks in certain settings and social distancing measures, remain partially in place. Workers in many industries were required to quickly adapt to new conditions including changes to workloads, shift times, uniforms and access to work sites.
Preliminary analysis of data from our ongoing research into heat stress in the workplace shows that changes implemented due to COVID-19 impacted on workers ability to cope with high heat. Our preliminary findings suggest that increased workloads, personal protective equipment (PPE), and reduced access to air conditioned spaces due to COVID-19 exacerbated the experience of high heat at work. Our survey and interview data, gathered during 2020 and early 2021 show that disruptions to working conditions associated with COVID-19 should not be considered separately from the issue of climatic heat stress.
The most commonly reported problems were associated with PPE, including the use of face masks and shields, gloves and goggles. Workers using PPE on hot days experienced higher than usual levels of heat, fatigue, sweating, and had difficulty breathing. Workers described wearing PPE during high heat for an entire shift as ‘debilitating’ and ‘stifling’, noting that wearing PPE ‘adds to the effects of the heat’. This was at times compounded by altered or extended shift times and higher workloads, especially for essential workers like cleaners and healthcare personnel. Workers also reported receiving fewer breaks due to higher workloads, changes to shift times that resulted in outdoor work being completed during the middle of the day rather than in the morning or evening, and additional higher intensity work such as the cleaning of outdoor equipment.
Reduced access to air conditioned spaces due to COVID-19 also emerged as a key concern. This included people directed to work from home who did not have air conditioning, and restrictions on the number of people allowed in break rooms due to social distancing regulations — forcing workers to take their break outside or seek other spaces to rest in. These changes, many of them implemented rapidly in response to the initial outbreak of the pandemic, worsened the experience of high heat at work. Workers we surveyed advised they were often not provided with additional time to complete higher workloads, or extra breaks to account for the effects of working in PPE .
The pandemic hit just as people were beginning to recover from one of the worst bushfire seasons in history, with record temperatures in many states. On the surface COVID-19 and climate change can appear to be separate workplace issues. However our research suggests that workplace changes in response to COVID-19 exacerbated the existing issue of climatic heat stress. The potential for greater heat stress due to increased workloads, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and reduced access to air conditioned spaces needs to be addressed in the event of similar disruptions or changes to working conditions in the future.