Extreme heat threatens the health of Australians

In reply:

We thank McInnes and colleagues for their letter highlighting the threat posed by high ambient temperatures to the health of Australian workers, particularly those in occupations requiring strenuous physical activity and work in outdoor or non-thermally controlled environments. Our article1 aimed to provide an overview of how extreme heat poses increasing risks for Australian society, and the health care system more specifically, but space precluded detailed discussion of particular at-risk groups. However, we hope that further discussion is stimulated and research is facilitated in this under-recognised area. The authors’ reporting of the lack of a nationally consistent, comprehensive occupational health policy framework for prevention of harm from high ambient heat is consistent with our concerns about the lack of a consistent national approach to the prevention and management of heat health impacts more broadly.