{"id":17352,"date":"2025-09-02T18:28:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T16:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17352"},"modified":"2026-10-24T15:04:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T13:04:31","slug":"heat-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/heat-stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Working Through the Heat: Egypt\u2019s Workers Face a Daily Health Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

In mid-August, temperatures in a number of Egypt’s governorates reached 49 degrees Celsius, and exceeded 50 degrees in the southern governorates, particularly Luxor and Aswan. In this harsh climate, millions of workers and employees are forced to travel and work every day under the scorching sun, without even the minimum means of protection against heat stress, which can lead to death in some cases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ten workers and employees who spoke to Zawia3 confirmed that they are severely affected by the recurring heatwaves, in the absence of any preventive measures or means of cooling the air inside workplaces, most of which lack air conditioning. Those working in agriculture, construction, cleaning and other sectors are the hardest hit, as they are forced to work under direct sunlight, amid a legislative vacuum that deprives them of the most basic rights to climate protection.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Heat stress is known as one of the<\/span> most serious<\/span><\/a> health effects of high temperatures. It occurs when the body is unable to rid itself of excess heat because of hot weather, high humidity or excessive physical exertion, which disrupts the internal heat balance. Its symptoms appear as severe exhaustion, headache, dizziness and muscle cramps resulting from the body’s loss of salts and fluids, and it can worsen into sunstroke, which may lead to death.<\/span><\/p>\n

The danger is multiplied in open spaces and arduous workplaces such as construction sites, fields and factories, where many are forced to work in inhumane conditions. The elderly, children and people with chronic illnesses are among the groups most vulnerable. With the escalation of extreme climate phenomena, heat stress is no longer only a health challenge, but has turned into a social and economic crisis requiring urgent legislative intervention, particularly in countries such as Egypt, which suffers from a fragile system of climate protection in workplaces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recommended reading:<\/b> Lives on the scaffolding, and rights on paper<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

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Death by heat<\/b><\/h1>\n

Death from heat is no longer a rare danger. According to the World Health Organization, high heat <\/span>claims<\/span><\/a> the lives of about 489,000 people a year around the world, as a result of the body’s inability to adapt to harsh climatic conditions, particularly in regions that experience recurring heatwaves and rising humidity levels, amid weak environmental and health protection systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reports by the International Labour Organization reveal an acute occupational dimension to this crisis, as nearly<\/span> 19,000<\/span><\/a> deaths are recorded every year among workers during working hours as a result of exposure to heat stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Egypt, the danger is greater given the hot and dry nature of the climate and the large extent of work in exposed sectors. A<\/span> study<\/span><\/a> published in The Lancet Planetary Health indicates that about 2,591 deaths are recorded every year because of high heat in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics highlight the scale of the challenge, as the <\/span>number of employed people<\/span><\/a> in Egypt reached about 31 million by the end of 2024, among them about 20.6 million employees or wage workers, most of whom work in sectors that lack climate safety requirements, whether in the <\/span>government sector<\/span><\/a> or the private sector, formal and informal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Egyptian<\/p>\n

Workers in the agriculture, construction and manufacturing sectors are among the<\/span> most<\/span><\/a> exposed to heat stress, given the exposed nature of their work and the long periods they work under the sun. While some workers in the formal private sector may have limited means of protection, informal-sector workers remain the most vulnerable, as they are entirely without any preventive measures. Government employees, meanwhile, usually work in relatively enclosed environments, which reduces the likelihood of their direct exposure to heat stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

During a severe heatwave in 2015, the Egyptian Ministry of Health recorded<\/a> the deaths of 76 people and the hospitalisation of 447 people as a result of heat exhaustion, while it reported 95 deaths from sunstroke and 1,400 injuries in 2020.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Deaths and injuries from heat stress<\/figcaption>

Figures reported by the Ministry of Health and Population for two heatwaves<\/p>

<\/div>
<\/div>
Year<\/th>Deaths<\/th>Injured or hospitalised<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
2015 (August heatwave)<\/td>76<\/bdi><\/td>447<\/bdi><\/td><\/tr>
2020<\/td>95<\/bdi><\/td>1,400<\/bdi><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>
Ministry of Health and Population; UNDP \u00b7 A 2013 study for UNDP estimates that heat stress and air pollution could cause 2,000 to 5,000 additional deaths a year, with losses of EGP 20 to 48 billion a year; the range covers deaths only<\/span>