Extreme heat is turning workplace heat hazards from a minor labour-safety matter into a business risk. That is good news for outdoor and warehouse workers, but a new source of pressure for companies facing rising costs.

• Amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act that took effect this July strengthen requirements for corporate self-management, contractor liability and penalties for violations.
• The Ministry of Labor launched a dedicated high-temperature inspection programme in June and is tracking remedial progress.
• Beyond construction, road works and food delivery, warehousing and logistics driven by e-commerce have also become a new focus of heat hazard concerns.
• Even without heat-generating processes, large warehouses accumulate heat loads from heat retention in buildings, poor ventilation and long hours of manual handling.
• Some e-commerce companies have already set up 26-degree cool-down zones, large fans and cooling supplies at their logistics centres so that staff can rehydrate and cool off.

Outlook: Heat hazard prevention may extend further into supply chains, with large companies expected to be held responsible for managing outsourced logistics and delivery operators.