World Cup Workers Face Extreme Heat Risks

The Heat Risk

As the World Cup kicks off, labor advocates and scholars warn that the workers making the tournament possible could face serious heat-related risks.

“It’s going to be extremely hot, and you just cannot leave people unprotected or you’re going to deal with a lot of injuries,” said Jonathan Alingu, co-executive director of Central Florida Jobs With Justice, which has been calling for worker protections at the Miami games. “Or, God forbid, something even worse.”

Temperature Forecast

The Fifa tournament is being played across 16 host cities, including 11 in the US. That includes southern cities such as Miami, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta, where temperatures during games could top 85F or even 90F.

Data Analysis

Thousands of World Cup workers are expected to labor in conditions exceeding recommended heat-exposure limits, putting them at risk of heat exhaustion and other illnesses, according to a study published this week.

• Heat is the deadliest form of extreme weather.
• Workers at previous World Cups have suffered and even died in sweltering heat.

The Impact Analysis

“If you think about the delivery people, the law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, people selling concessions or collecting tickets, a whole network of people are going to face heat-related hazards,” said Andrew Grundstein, a geographer and climatologist at the University of Georgia who led the study.

The Prediction

To avoid the worst heat, Fifa scheduled many matches for late afternoon and evening. Venues will also deploy cooling measures including shaded areas, misting systems and expanded water distribution, the spokesperson said.

However, labor activists fear Fifa’s efforts won’t eliminate heat-related risks. For instance, Yareliz Mendez-Zamora, an immigrant rights organizer in Miami, said even evening games could still leave workers exposed to extreme heat.