MSMEs cry productivity loss as workers battle extreme heat & exhaustion

Indore: As grueling temperatures torture workers on factory floors, ‘too hot to work’ is a becoming an unavoidable reality for MP’s MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises).

Industries say that extreme heat has reduced worker productivity by 20%. And while work schedules are being altered in favour of cooling measures, workers say they face exhaustion and frequent health issues due to work that demands continuous labour.

In Indore, one of the state’s key industrial hubs, daytime temperatures have been hovering around 42–44 degrees Celsius, while night temperatures continue to remain above 28–30 degrees Celsius.

The impact is increasingly being felt across labour-intensive sectors, with heatwaves emerging as a hidden economic cost affecting productivity, labour deployment and operational efficiency. MSMEs across industrial clusters including Pithampur, Sanwer Road, Dewas, Mandideep and Palda said sectors such as confectionery, engineering, fabrication, plastics, packaging and food processing are among the worst hit because a large share of work depends on manual labour and continuous shop-floor movement.

“Heat is emerging as a serious operational challenge for MSMEs. Worker efficiency during afternoon hours has dropped sharply and industries are increasingly shifting operations to cooler hours to sustain production. Many units have opted for night shifts and are offering additional incentives to workers,” said Yogesh Mehta, president, Association of Industries Madhya Pradesh.

Industries said several units have started shifting operations to late evening and night hours to avoid productivity losses during peak daytime heat. Many factories are also offering incentives of around Rs 2,000 per month to labourers willing to opt for night shifts.

Apart from operational changes, companies are rapidly increasing spending on industrial coolers, water stations and air-conditioned workspaces to maintain worker comfort and reduce production disruptions.

Pramod Dafaria, an industrialist, said companies are facing a double burden of productivity losses and rising expenditure. “Factories are investing more in cooling infrastructure and labour welfare measures, but despite these interventions, efficiency has taken a hit,” he said.

Shyam Sunder Yadav, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Madhya Pradesh, said heat stress is increasingly affecting workers on factory floors. “Workers engaged in labour-intensive activities are facing exhaustion and frequent health issues in extreme temperatures. Industries and authorities should take adequate measures for worker safety and comfort,” he said.

Factories with tin-roof structures and heat-generating operations such as furnaces, casting and fabrication are among the most affected, with indoor temperatures often becoming significantly higher than outside conditions.