John Abraham, mechanical engineering professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering, recently spoke with the BBC about how longer, more intense heat waves are impacting the workday, and what employers can do to help protect workers.
From the story:
As the planet warms, people are getting “stuck” in persistent weather patterns for longer durations, says John P. Abraham, a professor of thermal sciences at the University of St Thomas School of Engineering, U.S. “What used to be a 1-to-2-day heat wave is now 3-to-5 days. People who can handle a day or two of excess heat will have many more problems with longer durations,” he says. ...
For workers in non-temperature-controlled environments, Abraham believes air-conditioned cooling centres will become more commonplace, and employers will have to build in breaks for workers to bring down their body temperatures enough to work again.
