Trapped in the Heat: Structural Vulnerability and the Silent Crisis of Outdoor Workers

• In Event: Labor and Labor Movements Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Roundtable 1: Environmental Hazards, Rural Labor, and Ecological Inequality

Abstract

This phenomenon of climate-induced heatwaves poses a grave threat to vulnerable groups worldwide, including the impoverished outdoor workers in urban areas. The goal of this study is to explore the phenomenon of heat stress among informal outdoor workers in Rangpur, a city located in Northern Bangladesh and attempt to conceptualize it not just as an occupational health risk, but as a structurally produced environmental injustice. From a theoretical perspective, this study is rooted in two conceptual frameworks: Structural Vulnerability and Environmental Justice, and it is postulated that extreme heat acts as a mediator for structurally maintaining a poverty trap for poor, illiterate, and informally employed workers in Rangpur. The current research employed a mixed research design in which both quantitative and qualitative research methods have been used. The study collected quantitative survey data from 269 informal working individuals in Rangpur district of Bangladesh, including rickshaw pullers, construction workers, street vendors, day laborers, etc . The study has used five in-depth interviews, seven case studies, two focus group discussions, and observations to collect qualitative data on heat stress among informal workers in Rangpur. The results of the chi-square test have analyzed the relationship between heat exposure and illness, and binary logistic regression has estimated the probability of income reduction due to health problems related to heat stress. The research results show that there is a cyclical relationship between heat stress, health, and income because recurrent heat stress can cause dehydration, dizziness, fatigue, and even heat exhaustion that can reduce work capacity and earnings in the informal economy. The absence of institutions in labor regulation, social protection, and mitigation of urban heat stress can exacerbate the situation. The research results also conclude that there is a silent crisis in Rangpur due to heat stress that is embedded in the system.

Authors

• Shammy Islam

• A B M Nurullah, Virginia Tech

• Taunika Chowdhury, Graduate student, Media Society and communication, University of Innsbruck

• Sezan Shaphique, 4. Former Graduate Student, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering , Bangladesh University of Business and Technology (BUBT), Bangladesh

• Tulika Podder, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Gopalganj Science and Technology University, Gopalganj-8100

• Md. Abu Salah Shamim, Former Student, Department of Sociology, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Bangladesh