Extreme temperatures and workplace injuries by economic sectors in Santiago, Chile, from 2012-2019.

Extreme heat and cold significantly increase occupational injury risks in Santiago, Chile, with specific sectors experiencing up to 1.36 times higher risk during temperature extremes.

• Why it matters: Understanding how climate change-induced temperature extremes impact worker safety is crucial, especially in Latin America where data is limited, to inform effective occupational health policies.
• What they did: A time-stratified case-crossover study analyzed 603,676 injuries from 2012-2019 using distributed lag non-linear models, comparing risks at temperature extremes to the minimum injury temperature.
• The result: Findings reveal that extreme temperatures contributed to 5,542 injuries, with vulnerable groups like workers aged 25-34 and those over 55, highlighting the need for climate-adaptive safety measures.