Majority of workers in Germany already feel affected by climate change – insurer

The majority of workers in Germany feel that climate change has had an effect on their workplace, a survey by health insurer TK has found. Sixty percent of surveyed people said that climate change had impacted the job and health of employees in their company in recent years, with outdoor workers feeling most affected.

“Climate change is a health risk that the working world must not ignore,” TK head Jens Baas said. Particularly, more frequent heatwaves increase the risk of accidents and reduce employee productivity, he added.

The insurer found links between hot days, where day and nighttime temperatures exceed 20.2°C, and sick leave. “Sick notes with certain diagnoses are issued more than twice as often as expected seasonally during hot days,” TK wrote. This includes workers being incapacitated for work from Lyme disease (typically after a tick bite), circulatory problems, low blood pressure, sunburn, insect bites and certain wound infections.

Overall, heat-related diagnoses account for only a small proportion of total sick leave, TK pointed out. “The health consequences of climate change are often indirect: rising temperatures and increasing air pollution have been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, asthma and allergies, for example,” Baas said.

When asked what employers could do to ensure they can continue to work healthily as climate change advances, employees wished for more awareness of sustainable behaviour, flexible working hours to avoid the midday heat, action and emergency plans for extreme weather, and more relaxed dress codes.

Worker union IG BAU recently called for construction workers to be able to stop outdoor labour when temperatures surpass 33 degrees. They also pushed for a compensation mechanism which would kick in if workers cannot do their jobs due to adverse weather conditions at the height of summer to complement a similar scheme that is already in place for harsh conditions during the winter months.

In addition to reducing emissions, Germany increasingly has to find ways to adapt to the consequences of climate change. This is necessary to save lives, reduce the ecological and socio-economic impacts of climate change, and minimise future costs. Recommendations put forward in 2024 by Germany's health and resilience expert council, an independent government advisory panel, included anchoring health, climate and environment in all government departments and ministries.