Workplace heat stress has moved higher on the apparel, footwear and travel goods safety agenda as global temperatures and workplace heat incidents continue to rise. New guidance has been published by the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) for factories and supply-chain partners on preventing excessive heat exposure, setting workplace thresholds, adjusting workloads and breaks, strengthening worker education, and sharing responsibility between buyers and suppliers.
- Factories have been advised to set maximum workplace heat thresholds and use structural mitigation measures to prevent or reduce heat stress environments.
- The guidance calls for workload changes, rest arrangements, education and medical monitoring systems aligned with workplace heat conditions during excessive heat days.
- AAFA Guide to Protecting Workers from Heat Stress was published by AAFA earlier this month for apparel, footwear and travel goods supply chains.
THE TRIGGER: Excessive workplace heat has become a supply-chain concern for apparel, footwear and travel goods as higher global temperatures and heat stress incidents increase. The American Apparel & Footwear Association has published its heat-stress guide to help factories and supply-chain partners put practical policies and procedures in place before excessive heat days occur and protect workers when such days happen.
- The guide is designed to help supply chains operationalise recommendations for mitigating and preventing excessive heat days and protecting workers when they occur.
- The International Labor Organization estimates that excessive workplace heat is linked globally to 18,970 deaths and 22.87 million occupational injuries in workplaces.
- AAFA has tied the publication to its broader work supporting fair labour practices for garment workers worldwide and heat-stress protections since 2024.
THE RESPONSE: The guidance sets out factory-level controls and supply-chain coordination measures covering heat limits, workplace design, workload management, worker health support and regulatory adherence, based on international standards, government policies and academic research. It also places prevention within a shared buyer-supplier mechanism for reducing heat stress and sharing responsibility across buyers, suppliers and workers.
- Maximum heat thresholds and structural mitigation strategies are recommended to reduce the incidence of occupational heat stress across factory operations.
- Workloads, water access and bathroom breaks are to be adjusted according to heat conditions, alongside education and medical monitoring programmes.
- Buyers and suppliers are expected to discuss heat stress regularly and share responsibility for its impact on workers, suppliers and buyers.
- The guidance was composed with retailers, brands, manufacturers and material suppliers, and consulted industry, academia, MSIs, international organisations and NGOs.
- The guide will be reviewed regularly to incorporate heat-related illness information, best practices and global standards, with updates issued annually.
