IOSH
Climate change checklist
A practical tool to help organisations manage climate‑related risks and protect worker wellbeing
Climate change is reshaping workplace risks. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, changing air quality and shifting environmental conditions all affect the health, safety and wellbeing of workers.
How to use this resource
Use this checklist to review how your organisation manages climate‑related OSH risks. Work through each section to record what’s already in place, and what needs attention. When you've considered all your responses, you can download a printable version at the bottom of this page to record your results.
The checklist has four parts:
1. Policy
Use this section to check whether your organisation’s policies recognise climate‑related OSH risks and include measures to address them. Your responses will be 'yes', 'no' or 'needs further review'.
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Check whether climate change is recognised within wider organisational aims.
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Ensure the policy reflects how climate change affects people at work.
-
Confirm whether the policy is active or still being developed.
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Make sure suppliers and partners understand climate‑related expectations.
2. Roles and responsibilities
Review how responsibilities for managing climate‑related OSH risks are allocated, communicated and carried out. Your responses will very with each statement, so we've included examples below.
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Check whether a senior leader, specialist or consultant oversees climate‑related work.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Be clear on how your OSH duties cover climate risks.
• Yes
• No
• Sometimes -
Check that everyone understands what they need to do.
• Yes
• No
• Needs improvement -
Review engagement and consistency.
• Yes
• No
• Inconsistent -
Identify the team or individual responsible for communication.
• In place
• Not in place
• Partially covered -
Consider your ability to encourage others to act on climate‑related risks.
• Strong influence
• Some influence
• Limited influence -
Review issues such as heat stress, air quality and vector‑borne disease.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Confirm that senior and middle managers know what’s expected.
• Yes
• No
• In progress -
Look for training, guidance and learning materials.
• Available
• In development
• Not available
3. Planning
Review how climate‑related risks are built into organisational plans, risk assessments and decision‑making. Your responses will very with each statement, so we've included examples below.
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Plans should be reviewed and tested regularly.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Identify how your organisation affects the environment and how you limit this.
• Yes
• No
• In progress -
Set and follow a review schedule.
• Regularly reviewed
• Occasionally reviewed
• Not reviewed -
Record your involvement in climate‑related planning.
• Yes
• No
• Limited involvement -
Include drills, communication checks and updated roles.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Summary: Make sure people can report issues and see action taken.
• Yes
• No
• Needs improvement -
Consider engineering controls, administrative controls and PPE.
• Fully controlled
• Partially controlled
• Not controlled -
Review work‑rest ratios, acclimatisation and exposure limits.
• Yes
• No
• In progress -
Include climate risks in OSH assessments.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Make sure messages reach teams and partners.
• Yes
• No
• Needs improvement -
Use data to monitor progress.
• Yes
• No
• In development
-
Review performance indicators and outcomes.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Keep a process to spot new or changing climate‑related risks.
• Yes
• No
• Needs improvement -
Use data to support climate‑related improvements.
• Yes
• No
• In development -
Include other organisations and public health agencies.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Check whether you can build a strong case for new controls.
• Yes
• No
• Limited access -
Confirm that responses achieve their intended aims.
• Yes
• No
• Partially -
Provide training to the right people at the right time.
• Yes
• No
• In development -
Set regular review points.
• Yes
• No
• Needs scheduling -
Look for opportunities to align activity.
• Yes
• No
• In progress
5. Reflection and next steps
Use these prompts to explore challenges, partnerships and continuous improvement.
What challenges affect progress?
Identify barriers and how you’ll overcome them.
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List your main challenges.
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Record the actions you’ll take.
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Add owners and timeframes.
Who do you need to work with?
Many controls need cross‑team collaboration.
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Identify key partners.
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Agree responsibilities.
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Set joint actions and review dates.
How will you keep improving?
Plan how you’ll stay informed and adapt to changes.
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Identify opportunities for improvement.
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Prioritise short and long‑term actions.
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Review progress regularly.
Contribute to climate‑positive change
Get a print‑friendly version of the questionnaire that you can complete offline – either digitally or on paper.
It’s easy to use, simple to share and supports lower‑carbon working by reducing the need to stay online while you review risks and plan improvements.