What happened
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a new international specification on workplace safety and climate change, as reported by Talent Canada. It is titled ISO/PAS 45007:2026 and gives organizations practical, risk-based guidance on climate-related occupational health and safety (OHS) hazards.
The document covers three areas: risks from climate change itself, such as flooding and extreme weather; risks from adaptation, such as changed work processes or infrastructure upgrades; and risks from mitigation, such as new technologies and low-carbon infrastructure. It also points to opportunities to improve worker health, well-being and productivity.
The report cites the International Labour Organization estimate that more than 70 per cent of workers worldwide, about 2.4 billion people, are exposed to excessive heat each year. Agriculture, the built environment, and transport and logistics are named as sectors facing potentially severe effects. The guidance can be used with or without a formal system such as ISO 45001, and it is meant for organizations of all sizes and sectors.
Why it matters if you are hiring
This is guidance, not a regulation, and the report does not say any Canadian regulator will adopt it. But it gives employers a common reference for a problem many already face: hot plants, flooded sites, smoke days and new equipment brought in during energy upgrades.
That changes what you ask of safety people. Health and safety coordinators, EHS managers and operations leaders will increasingly be expected to assess heat, air quality and weather disruption, and to check that a change in process or technology does not create a new hazard. Candidates who can show a documented risk assessment, not just an incident record, will stand out.
It also affects supervisors and site leads in outdoor, warehouse, logistics and production settings, where heat exposure is a daily management matter. If you are hiring for those roles, climate-related risk experience belongs in the screening questions.
One thing to do this week
Pick your highest-risk site or shift and ask your safety lead to list the climate-related hazards there, from summer heat to flooding to smoke. Then compare that list with the job descriptions for your safety and supervisory roles. Wherever a hazard has no owner, add the duty to the role or flag a hire.
Traverse helps employers across Canada and the US find operations and safety-minded managers, supervisors and coordinators who can turn new standards into everyday practice on the floor.