This piece unpacks the lived reality of heat stress in India’s dyeing industry, drawing from fieldwork in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. It shows how rising temperatures affect factory conditions and negatively impact the wellbeing of workers. Through on-ground accounts, it highlights the systemic gaps that leave small units vulnerable.
Each summer, India breaks new temperature records, and talks of heatwaves and climate change gain urgency. Among the most vulnerable are farmers, construction workers, and industrial laborers in sectors like steel mills, foundries, and textile dyeing units.
For industrial workers, heat stress stems not only from rising outdoor temperatures, but also from heat generated within the workplace. As climate change drives up ambient temperatures, furnaces, boilers, and heavy machinery can push conditions beyond safe limits, increasing the risk of dehydration, exhaustion, injuries, and fatalities.
The textile dyeing and processing industry is especially at risk, not just because of high outdoor temperatures, but because its core processes rely on intense heat. Dyeing just one kilogram of grey fabric can require 2 to 3 kilograms of steam per hour. This steam comes from boilers that emit extreme heat, ash, and smoke. Inside these units, ambient temperatures often reach 45–50°C, while workers near the furnaces may be exposed to radiant heat from equipment operating at temperatures of 400–450°C. Feeding these boilers with wood and coal falls on “boiler” workers.
Field Observations from Tamil Nadu and West Bengal
We conducted surveys to understand the adoption of energy-efficient technologies that reduce energy use as well as improve the work environment in the dyeing MSMEs. Field visits to nearly 70 textile dyeing MSMEs in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal reveal that in smaller units, especially micro-enterprises, boilers are often located indoors with almost no ventilation. This traps heat and pollution, creating suffocating conditions. Even when boilers are installed outdoors, they are frequently housed under aluminium sheets that trap more heat.Boiler workers have little relief, sometimes sharing a single fan to dry off sweat. The only break is when the boiler shuts down for maintenance.
While personal protective equipment (PPE) is recommended, workers often find it uncomfortable in high heat. Many work with single-layered clothing or bare-bodied, using only a towel to wipe sweat. Workers commonly report weakness, dizziness, headaches, and fatigue, but are less aware of long-term health effects like elevated heart rates, dehydration, and chronic exhaustion.
Basic safety gear such as asbestos gloves and sturdy footwear is often missing. Workers often cross hot boiler tops barefoot or in sandals. Without reliable temperature gauges, some workers resort to the dangerous practice of touching the boiler’s surface with their bare hands to judge its heat. The workers are hardly aware that their prolonged exposure to high temperatures increases the likelihood of workplace accidents due to impaired concentration and slower reflexes, which can cause severe injuries, including permanent disability or death.
Despite this, many workers feel there is no alternative. “I’m used to this heat. What else can I do?” they say. A single fan or a bit of shade feels like a blessing when there are no other options.
Heat Stress at Scale
These harsh conditions are not unique to boiler workers. Similar stories play out in forging, metalworking, glass manufacturing, and brick kilns. Globally, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 2.41 billion workers—71% of the world’s workforce are exposed to excessive heat each year, leading to nearly 23 million injuries and almost 19,000 deaths annually. In India, the economic toll is steep: by 2030, the country could lose nearly 6% of working hours due to heat stress, a productivity loss equivalent to 34 million full-time jobs.
How Factories Can Adapt
Simple measures can make a difference. Scheduled cooling breaks, even short 30-minute rotations, can reduce the strain of working in extreme heat. For clusters of micro and small firms, shared rest stations with shade, fans, and drinking water can offer vital relief without heavy investments.
Better working conditions boost productivity and worker retention. Clear guidelines, practical toolkits, and awareness campaigns led by local governments, industry bodies, or NGOs can help bridge the knowledge gap. Even small changes, like insulating hot surfaces, repairing steam leaks promptly, and using more efficient fuels, can reduce both heat exposure and fuel costs.
Heat stress isn’t only about rising temperatures; it also shapes how people work and businesses operate. It’s about ensuring dignity and safety at work. As temperatures continue to rise, building heat-resilient and sustainable factories will result in co-benefits for both workers and businesses.
