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High temperatures and workplace injuries

Author

Listed:
  • Matteo Picchio

    (Marche Polytechnic University
    Ghent University
    IZA—Institute of Labor Economics
    GLO—Global Labor Organization)

  • Jan C. Ours

    (Erasmus School of Economics and Tinbergen Institute
    IZA—Institute of Labor Economics
    CEPR
    Monash Business School)

Abstract

High temperatures can have a negative effect on workplace safety for various reasons. Discomfort and reduced concentration caused by heat can lead to workers making mistakes and injuring themselves. Discomfort can also be an incentive for workers to report an injury that they would not have reported in the absence of heat. We investigate how temperature affects injuries of professional tennis players in outdoor singles matches. We find that injury rates increase with ambient temperatures for men, whereas for women, high temperatures have no effect on injury rates. Among male tennis players, there is some heterogeneity in the temperature effects, influenced by incentives. Specifically, when a male player is losing at the beginning of a crucial second (third) set in best-of-three (best-of-five) matches, the temperature effect is much larger than when he is winning.

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Picchio & Jan C. Ours, 2025. "High temperatures and workplace injuries," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 69(4), pages 2339-2369, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:69:y:2025:i:4:d:10.1007_s00181-025-02790-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-025-02790-5
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    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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