The International Labour Organization is set to adopt the first-ever global framework addressing occupational safety and health risks from extreme weather events, with the ILO Governing Body’s 358th Session currently considering the conclusions at its meeting in Geneva.

The conclusions — developed by tripartite experts in April 2026 — cover risks from extreme heat, floods, droughts, wildfires, tropical cyclones, and sand and dust storms. More than 2.4 billion workers globally are exposed to excessive heat alone.

Key measures in the framework include establishing evidence-based occupational exposure limits for heat, strengthening coordination across labour, public health and emergency management bodies, ensuring gender-responsive risk assessments, and requiring worker consultation on all extreme weather WHS matters.

The conclusions are non-binding but provide a formal global reference point for governments, employers and workers — directly relevant to Australian duty-holders in agriculture, construction, mining, and outdoor work, and to Safe Work Australia’s ongoing work on heat stress guidance.

Australia is one of the world’s most climate-exposed workforces. The ILO framework, combined with Australia’s newly announced National Strategic Plan on Climate Safe Work, represents a significant convergence of international and domestic action on what has become one of the defining WHS challenges of our time.