Climate-Related Heat Stress and Occupational Mortality in Colombia

Using death certificate data recorded in the Colombian vital statistics system for 2017–2021, together with temperature data from meteorological stations, this study examines mortality associated with air temperatures above 26°C across occupations classified at the 2-digit level of the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08). The findings highlight that agricultural workers, assemblers, and health and teaching professionals face the highest mortality risk associated with exposure to high temperature in Colombia. Overall, male workers are more affected by the consequences of high temperatures. However, women appear to be particularly vulnerable in occupations such as health associate professionals, where they account for a large majority of workers. Preventive measures, including risk assessment, should therefore be reinforced, especially for these occupations in the context of global climate warming. Regarding remediation, the coverage of common health insurance has expanded significantly in recent decades and now reaches almost 99 per cent of the entire population, but only around half of the working population is covered by social protection schemes for occupational risks.