The Workers Compensation Research Institute reports three-quarters of heat-related workers’ compensation claims in the U.S. are submitted between June and August, and 90% involve temperatures above 90 F, according to Safety+Health magazine.
During a recent webinar about heat-related illnesses in the workplace, Vennela Thumula, senior policy analyst at the Workers Compensation Research Institute, said those workers’ compensation numbers are likely to increase as temperatures rise more frequently.
Thumula said in 2023, numerous counties in the South and West experienced more than 100 days with temperatures at or above 90 F, and between 2040 and 2050, the Southeast could see an additional 40 days with temperatures at or above 90 F.
A recent Workers Compensation Research Institute study examined claims from 31 states between 2013 and 2022 and found an annual average of 210 heat-related illnesses per 100,000 claims. During the summer months, there were nearly 800 claims per month. About 20% of heat-related illness claims came from the construction industry.
The study also found:
- Heat-related illnesses most often occurred among younger men and workers on the job for less than two months.
- The number of illnesses was seven times higher when the high temperature was 90 F-95 F and 18 times higher when it was 100 F or hotter compared with days when the high temperature was between 75 F and 80 F.
- According to NASA scientists, 2024 featured the warmest average Earth surface temperature since records were first kept in 1880.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that between 2011 and 2022, 479 work-related heat deaths occurred and nearly 33,900 heat-related injuries resulted in at least one day away from work.
Check out NRCA’s Heat Illness Prevention webpage, which provides resources to help keep workers safe in the heat.
