Employers Urged to Review Plans for Severe Heat
Australia's Institute of Health and Safety urges firms to fold climate risks into workplace safety rules as El Niño takes hold.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Forecasts
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Australia's Australian Institute of Health and Safety has urged employers to review emergency plans against severe weather as a strong El Niño gets underway. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts above-average temperatures across the country from November to January.
Why it matters
Extreme heat is the most common cause of hospitalisations and deaths linked to extreme weather in Australia, and heat-related hospitalisation rates are 1.6 times higher during El Niño years. Outdoor workers, emergency crews, transport, construction and agriculture staff face the greatest exposure.
Australia recorded an average of 710 heat-related hospitalisations a year in 2021-22, and rates run 1.6 times higher in El Niño years. The extraction does not give the forecast temperature anomalies for the November to January period.
The players
Australian Institute of Health and Safety
A national body that promotes workplace health and safety standards and guidance across Australian industries.
Bureau of Meteorology
Australia's national weather, climate and water agency, responsible for official forecasts and warnings.
The details
The Institute urged employers to integrate climate-related risks into all workplace health and safety policies and risk assessments, and to monitor weather conditions daily. Where conditions become unsafe, employers are advised to suspend or modify work.
Timeline
2021-22: Average of 710 heat-related hospitalisations recorded annually.
November to January: Bureau of Meteorology forecasts above-average temperatures across Australia.
Autumn next year: Bureau expects the El Niño pattern to persist.
Seasonal Patterns
The new international standard offers the first global guidance on managing climate change risks through a workplace health and safety lens, and the Institute's call applies it to a strong El Niño summer. Heat-related hospitalisation rates running 1.6 times higher in El Niño years place the seasonal forecast within a recurring pattern of extreme heat risk.
Employers should monitor weather conditions daily and suspend or modify work when conditions become unsafe, and workers in outdoor roles should plan around the forecast heat. Emergency plans should be reviewed against severe weather before the November to January period.
The takeaway
Heat is the most common cause of weather-related hospitalisations and deaths in Australia, so building heat risk into everyday workplace safety checks is a practical step ahead of summer. Workers and employers can act now by reviewing plans and monitoring conditions each day.
Further reading
For the seasonal outlook behind these warnings, see the Forecasts section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Inside Small Business.
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