Occupational health risks from climate-related and infectious-disease stressors: A scoping review of worker safety and resilience
- 1Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering (IMSE), Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America.
- 2Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, United States of America.
Abstract
Objective: This scoping review examines how climate-related stressors and infectious-disease conditions, including pandemic-related workplace disruptions, interact to influence worker health, vulnerability, and occupational resilience. The review focuses on shared exposure pathways, vulnerable worker populations, methodological patterns, policy gaps, and strategies for strengthening worker safety under compound hazards. Rather than treating pandemics as isolated events, the review uses pandemic conditions as a lens to understand broader, recurring occupational risks and to inform strategies for building safer and more resilient workplaces under compound hazards. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a structured literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for English-language peer-reviewed and formally structured evidence sources published primarily between January 2020 and April 2025, with one pre-2020 policy study retained for foundational context. Out of 612 records initially identified, 10 studies or sources met the inclusion criteria across healthcare, agriculture, construction, emergency response, and other high-exposure sectors after systematic screening and eligibility assessment. Data were charted and synthesized by occupational sector, geographic region, exposure type, worker vulnerability, and methodological approach. Results: The evidence indicates that climate-related and infectious-disease stressors frequently converge, amplifying physical, environmental, and psychosocial pressures on workers. Disproportionate risks were observed among migrant workers, informal laborers, low-income populations, older adults, women, and seasonal or cross-border agricultural workers, particularly where access to healthcare, legal protections, or adaptive infrastructure was limited. Most studies relied on descriptive, qualitative, cross-sectional, conceptual, or review-based designs, with limited use of predictive modeling, geospatial analysis, longitudinal evidence, or integrated datasets. Policy responses were often fragmented, with climate adaptation and infection-control measures addressed separately despite overlapping benefits. Conclusions: Climate-related and infectious-disease stressors interact to reinforce occupational health inequities and expose persistent gaps in worker protection. The findings highlight the need for integrated, multi-hazard occupational health strategies that align climate adaptation, infection prevention, and psychosocial support. Embedding data-driven early-warning systems, equitable protections for vulnerable workers, and cross-sector coordination into occupational policies may help strengthen workforce resilience during routine operations as well as future climate extremes and public health crises. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution because of the limited number of available studies combining climate-related and infectious-disease occupational risks, heterogeneous study designs, and the emerging nature of the evidence base. Furthermore, since this scoping review maps evidence rather than formally grading evidence strength or testing causal relationships, recommendations should be interpreted as evidence-informed directions for future occupational-health planning and research.
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BibTeX
@article{odud2026occupational,
title = {{Occupational health risks from climate-related and infectious-disease stressors: A scoping review of worker safety and resilience}},
author = {Muhammed Abdul Odud and Omar I Abdul-Aziz},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0361296},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361296},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Occupational health risks from climate-related and infectious-disease stressors: A scoping review of worker safety and resilience
AU - Muhammed Abdul Odud
AU - Omar I Abdul-Aziz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0361296
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0361296
AB - Objective: This scoping review examines how climate-related stressors and infectious-disease conditions, including pandemic-related workplace disruptions, interact to influence worker health, vulnerability, and occupational resilience. The review focuses on shared exposure pathways, vulnerable worker populations, methodological patterns, policy gaps, and strategies for strengthening worker safety under compound hazards. Rather than treating pandemics as isolated events, the review uses pandemic conditions as a lens to understand broader, recurring occupational risks and to inform strategies for building safer and more resilient workplaces under compound hazards. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a structured literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for English-language peer-reviewed and formally structured evidence sources published primarily between January 2020 and April 2025, with one pre-2020 policy study retained for foundational context. Out of 612 records initially identified, 10 studies or sources met the inclusion criteria across healthcare, agriculture, construction, emergency response, and other high-exposure sectors after systematic screening and eligibility assessment. Data were charted and synthesized by occupational sector, geographic region, exposure type, worker vulnerability, and methodological approach. Results: The evidence indicates that climate-related and infectious-disease stressors frequently converge, amplifying physical, environmental, and psychosocial pressures on workers. Disproportionate risks were observed among migrant workers, informal laborers, low-income populations, older adults, women, and seasonal or cross-border agricultural workers, particularly where access to healthcare, legal protections, or adaptive infrastructure was limited. Most studies relied on descriptive, qualitative, cross-sectional, conceptual, or review-based designs, with limited use of predictive modeling, geospatial analysis, longitudinal evidence, or integrated datasets. Policy responses were often fragmented, with climate adaptation and infection-control measures addressed separately despite overlapping benefits. Conclusions: Climate-related and infectious-disease stressors interact to reinforce occupational health inequities and expose persistent gaps in worker protection. The findings highlight the need for integrated, multi-hazard occupational health strategies that align climate adaptation, infection prevention, and psychosocial support. Embedding data-driven early-warning systems, equitable protections for vulnerable workers, and cross-sector coordination into occupational policies may help strengthen workforce resilience during routine operations as well as future climate extremes and public health crises. However, the findings should be interpreted with caution because of the limited number of available studies combining climate-related and infectious-disease occupational risks, heterogeneous study designs, and the emerging nature of the evidence base. Furthermore, since this scoping review maps evidence rather than formally grading evidence strength or testing causal relationships, recommendations should be interpreted as evidence-informed directions for future occupational-health planning and research.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -