Climate change health risks and workplace protective strategies for construction workers

Climate change increasingly threatens occupational health, with construction workers facing elevated risks due to prolonged outdoor exposure. Although individual risk factors are well documented, workplace-level protective strategies integrating multi-stakeholder perspectives remain limited. To develop an integrated framework identifying climate change factors threatening construction workers' health, examine associated health impacts, and propose evidence-based workplace protective strategies. Three focus group interviews were conducted with 23 construction sector experts, including eight government officials specializing in outdoor labor conditions and fifteen industry health managers with extensive experience in climate-related occupational health management. Data were collected between January and March 2021 and analyzed using systematic thematic analysis following established qualitative frameworks. Analysis revealed four interconnected themes comprising 24 categories: (1) climate factors affecting construction workers (heat waves, humidity, cold waves, fine particulate matter); (2) health problems encompassing direct physiological effects (heat stroke, cardiovascular events, respiratory dysfunction) and indirect outcomes (musculoskeletal disorders, increased accident rates); (3) systemic and organizational barriers including inadequate rest facilities, insufficient budgets, inflexible schedules, and limited managerial awareness; and (4) protective strategies requiring policy integration, including climate-specific regulatory standards, weather-contingent scheduling, multi-level education programs, enhanced health manager capacity, mandated rest facilities, and advanced protective technologies. This study presents the first comprehensive practitioner-informed framework integrating climate risks, health impacts, and protective strategies for construction workers. Effective protection demands coordinated policy action, organizational investment, and technological innovation rather than fragmented safety measures. The framework provides actionable guidance for policymakers and industry stakeholders globally. As findings reflect Korean construction sector practitioners' perspectives, future research should include climate scientists and validate findings across diverse settings.