The Star’s report on June 9 highlighted the health dangers of “wet-bulb temperature” (WBT). In high temperatures, the human body relies on sweating to cool down. But when humidity is too high, sweat can’t evaporate efficiently, making it harder for the body to release heat. This can lead to dangerously high core body temperatures and even death.

When relative humidity exceeds 90%, even a seemingly “normal” temperature of 31°C can become life-threatening. Certain groups are especially vulnerable to heat stress: the elderly, pregnant women, children, outdoor workers, and individuals with underlying health conditions.

With climate change making extreme heat more common, WBT is fast becoming a major public health issue. In Malaysia, we have a large number of outdoor workers – farmers and agricultural laborers, construction workers, roadside micro-vendors, food delivery riders, and more. Protecting them from heat stress must be a national priority.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower has a more complete heat stress management framework. This includes heat acclimatization training for workers returning to duty, access to drinking water near work areas, real-time WBT monitoring systems, and regular shaded rest breaks. Given that Singapore’s climate is similar to ours, Malaysia’s government should adopt a similar legally binding framework to ensure employers comply.

Malaysia could also learn from China’s policies, such as mandatory work stoppages or reduced work intensity during extreme heat, and employer-paid heat allowances. Most outdoor workers are low-income, but they contribute significantly to the national economy. A heat allowance would be a way to recognize both their labor and their losses when they’re forced to stop working due to dangerous heat.

It’s also urgent for the government and employers to strengthen social protections for outdoor workers. This includes higher pension schemes and expanding SOCSO to cover heat exhaustion and heat stress. For outdoor workers in the formal sector, employers should cover these protections. For informal workers or self-employed people – like roadside hawkers and smallholder farmers who play key roles in food security – should be covered by the government.

To ensure employers follow the law, outdoor workers must be supported in forming independent monitoring bodies, with representatives democratically elected by the workers themselves. We cannot rely solely on weak and ineffective government enforcement units. These worker-led bodies should have real power – to negotiate directly with employers and to demand necessary infrastructure to reduce heat stress. The government should also create dedicated complaint and arbitration bodies to work alongside these units.

Construction workers – many of whom are migrant workers – are among the most vulnerable outdoor laborers. Even with stronger laws and enforcement, they remain exposed to employer and agent exploitation and social discrimination. The government must reconsider its reliance on private developers and take on a stronger role in building housing that actually benefits ordinary people.

Policies should be introduced to stop the exploitative practice of subletting public housing and to nationalize surplus housing units. We should not exploit the labor of the most vulnerable in dangerous environments to build luxury housing that serves no one. While this may not directly relate to worker safety, stopping wasteful labor on elite projects is another way to protect vulnerable outdoor workers.

Climate change is a product of capitalist economies that chase profit at full speed. Capitalism is not just a political and economic system, it also shapes the way we think: it reduces everything – even people and nature – into numbers and money, and channels wealth into the hands of a few. Devaluing and exploiting certain groups is one of the easiest ways to maximize profit. Yet these devalued groups, such as outdoor workers, are often the most affected by climate change.

We cannot keep saying “there’s no money” as an excuse to do nothing. What we lack is awareness of the crisis, imagination for alternatives, and the political courage to act. We keep believing in greenwashing that don’t work and shift the burden onto the most vulnerable. But the government can fund these protections through various means – increasing taxes on the wealthy, cutting administrative waste, and more.

Climate change should be an opportunity for us to rethink the capitalist economy and the way we live under capitalism – including how labor is organized. The reforms mentioned above are not radical. Climate change will make many jobs change how they do things. But unless these changes are inclusive, fair and just, we risk wasting this opportunity to build a better future.

Brian Khow Tong Chee,
PSM Environment, Climate Crisis and Indigenous People Bureau

References

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower. (6 September, 2024). Revised framework to guide employers and protect outdoor workers against heat stress. Retrieved from mom.gov.sg: https://www.mom.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/2024/0906-revised-framework-to-guide-employers-and-protect-outdoor-workers-against-heat-stress?

The Chinese Government Website. (5 July, 2012). 关于印发防暑降温措施管理办法的通知 (Notice on Issuing the Administrative Measures for Heat Prevention and Cooling Measures). Retrieved from nhc.gov.cn : https://www.nhc.gov.cn/zhjcj/s5852/201207/9871e8d92f1f4964975ad56bdeac94af.shtml

The Star Online. (9 Jun, 2025). Malaysia at risk of deadly humidity threat. Retrieved from thestar.com.my: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2025/06/09/malaysia-at-risk-of-deadly-humidity-threat