Our new project with the United Workers Union (UWU) (2020-2021) investigates climatic heat stress, bushfire smoke, and the experience of members of the United Workers Union across Australia.
The project will interview and survey workers across a range of industries, including manufacturing, home care, early childhood education and care, farm workers, and outdoor utility workers. It is our first major investigation of the impacts of climate change related heat stress on indoor workers.
The project will extend some of the core questions of the Too Hot To Work research focus:
- How do climate-related working conditions such as high heat disrupt the labour process, and introduce health and safety risks for exposed workers?
- How are these risks distributed?
- How might the distribution of these risks be contested by workers and their representatives?
- How is climate change related heat stress embedded in these workplaces, and understood by the workers?
- How did smoke and ash impact work during the 2019-2020 bushfires?
We are excited to be starting a project with the UWU, whose members have been at the forefront of WHS action during the covid pandemic.
This research project is being undertaken independently by the CJRC. The project is jointly funded by the CJRC and the UWU.