The impact of heat on labour productivity in Zurich

Abstract

In recent years, summer temperatures have reached levels never recorded before. Besides having severe impacts on yields, ecosystems, and infrastructures, heat is a serious health problem. High temperatures exacerbate mortality, morbidity, and severely affect the pro ductivity of workers. So far, however, the problematic of occupational health has received relatively little attention. By integrating the three risk components, namely hazard, vulner ability, and exposure, I quantify the economic impact of heat on labour productivity for the Canton of Zurich. The expected annual impact for the present situation amounts to CHF 100 million, with workers performing heavy physically intensive tasks being the category most affected. For comparison, the annual costs of flu due to lost working hours amount to about CHF 40 million for the Canton of Zurich. In 2035, the extent of the impact is expected to double or, in a worst case, even reach the order of magnitude of indirect costs caused by depression (i.e. CHF 1 billion), urging the implementation of targeted adaptation measures in addition to mitigation efforts.