Unsafe temperatures, unsafe jobs: the impact of weather conditions on work-related injuries
Filomena, Mattia ; Picchio, Matteo
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
2024
224
851-875
climate change ; extreme temperatures ; health impact assessment ; occupational accidents ; unsafe working conditions
Working conditions
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2024.06.016
English
Bibliogr.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
"We estimate the impact of temperatures on work-related accident rates in Italy by using daily data on weather conditions matched to administrative daily data on work-related accidents. The identification strategy of the causal effect relies on the plausible exogeneity of short-term daily temperature variations in a given spatial unit. We find that both high and cold temperatures impair occupational health by increasing workplace injury rates. The positive effect of warmer weather conditions on work-related accident rates is larger for men and for workplace injuries. Older workers and jobs in the service sector are instead affected less. Colder temperatures lead to a substantial increase in commuting accidents, especially on rainy days."
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