The risk
Climate change presents a growing occupational safety and health risk for transport workers and is already reshaping working conditions across the sector. Rising temperatures, extreme cold, storms, flooding and other severe weather events increasingly expose workers to hazardous conditions and disrupt operations
Transport work largely takes place in the natural environment, making climate-related risks inherent to feature of the industry. Workers operate within vehicles, vesselships and other confined spaces where conditions can intensify rapidly, increasing physical and physiological strain and safety risks. In aviation, climate change is also contributing to rising turbulence, creating additional risks for crew and passengers.
Workers often have limited capacity to modify or adapt operations when conditions become unsafe, particularly where service delivery or contractual commitments create pressure to continue working.
Recent climate-related disruptions demonstrate the direct impact on transport supply chains. For example, recently prolonged drought conditions affecting the Panama Canal significantly reduced transit capacity, causing delays, rerouting and increased costs for shipping companies and cargo owners.
This illustrates how climate-related events simultaneously create safety risks for workers and operational, financial and resilience risks for companies and supply chain actors. They are also driving workforce impacts, including longer and more unpredictable working hours, reduced safety, changes to job roles and work organisation, and, in some cases, job losses – heightening human rights and labour risks
Companies and supply chain actors must ensure climate adaptation and resilience measures prioritise worker safety. As part of HRDD, companies and supply chain actors must assess how climate risks affect working conditions and implement preventative measures, including adapting schedules, providing appropriate rest, hydration and shelter, establishing effective emergency protocols, identifying and enforcing maximum and minimum safe temperatures limits, and investing in climate-resilient infrastructure.
Commercial expectations must not require work to continue in unsafe conditions. Companies must ensure workers can report risks and refuse unsafe work without penalty or loss of income. Where work is stopped or delayed due to unsafe conditions, workers must be financially penalised.
Effectively mitigating requires engagement with workers and trade unions to support risk assessment, monitoring and climate adaptation across supply chains