Safe Work Is Women’s Work: Rethinking Health and Safety in Global Supply Chains

Under the scorching sun, Blessing starts her day before dawn. In the tea fields where she works, the air is already heavy. By midday, the heat will be relentless. She will pluck leaves for hours, her fingers moving quickly, her body bending and lifting in rhythm with the demands of global supply chains that stretch far beyond her village. Her work feeds an industry worth billions but her health and safety remain fragile, often invisible.

Blessing’s story is not unique. Across global supply chains, from tea estates in Kenya and India to flower farms in East Africa and Ecuador, women make up a significant share of the workforce. Globally, women represent around 38% of agricultural workers, a figure that climbs even higher in certain regions and industries. Yet the conditions under which they work are often shaped by inequality, informality, limited protections and systemic violence and harassment.

Health and safety risks for women workers are a persistent violation of their rights at work. In tea and flower supply chains, women are frequently exposed to pesticides directly and indirectly, repetitive strain injuries, and long hours in extreme temperatures. This is compounded by poor fitting or lack of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Climate change is intensifying these risks. Rising heat, unpredictable rainfall, and degraded ecosystems are not abstract threats, they are daily realities for these women who barely earn enough to support their families. Women report working in increasingly extreme conditions, facing dehydration, illness, and reduced crop yields that directly affect their incomes and nutrition.

But occupational health and safety cannot be understood in isolation. It intersects deeply with gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). In many agricultural supply chains, women occupy lower-paid, insecure roles with limited power and agency to advocate for their rights at work. This imbalance creates conditions where abuse can thrive, often at the hands of male supervisors and unscrupulous recruiters. GBVH remains widespread yet underreported, driven by unequal power dynamics, lack of representation, fear of social stigma and weak grievance mechanisms. In tea plantations, studies suggest that on any given day, up to one in ten women workers may be absent due to violence-related impacts, highlighting the profound effect on both wellbeing and livelihoods.

These issues are interconnected. When a woman fears harassment at work, her safety is compromised as much as if she lacked protective equipment. When grievance and reporting mechanisms fail, psychological stress compounds physical risk. Health and safety, therefore, must include freedom from violence and harassment at work.

Climate change further deepens these vulnerabilities. As temperatures rise and resources become scarce, pressures within households and communities increase, often leading to heightened risks of GBVH. Women, who are already balancing paid labour with unpaid care responsibilities, are pushed to their limits. Changes in climate mean that many walk further to collect water, work longer hours to compensate for lost income, and face growing food insecurity. Globally, women are disproportionately affected by climate impacts that threaten their health, safety, and economic security.

This is where the responsibility and actions of companies becomes critical. Businesses sourcing tea, flowers, and other agricultural goods are not distant observers. They are directly connected to the conditions under which women work and have a responsibility to conduct human rights due diligence with a strong gender lens.

This means going beyond surface-level audits and tick-box compliance exercises. Companies must actively identify how risks are experienced differently by women workers, whether through exposure to harmful chemicals, barriers to reporting harassment, or the impacts of climate stress on their workloads and wellbeing. A gender-responsive approach requires listening to women directly, supporting worker-led solutions grounded in freedom of association and collective bargaining, and ensuring that grievance mechanisms are safe, accessible, and trusted.

It also means addressing root causes such as purchasing practices that drive down prices and increase pressure on suppliers, often at the expense of workers’ safety. Responsible companies must align their business models with respect for human rights, ensuring that suppliers have the resources to provide safe working conditions, fair wages, and protections against GBVH.

Importantly, due diligence must be ongoing. We know that human rights risks in global supply chains are constantly evolving which means companies must also be ready and willing to evolve in their due diligence approaches. Central to this is working with women who are not only victims of these challenges but are also central to long lasting solutions. Collaboration with local organisations, trade unions, and women’s groups is key to building systems that truly protect workers. When women have access to healthcare, fair wages, and safe environments, productivity improves, families thrive, and communities become more prosperous. This in turn results in more stable and resilient supply chains. 

On this International Day for Health and Safety at Work, we must expand our understanding of what “safety” truly means. It is not only about hard hats or hazard signs. It is also about dignity, agency and power. It is about ensuring that women like Blessing can work without fear of injury, illness or violence.

Companies have both the responsibility and the opportunity to lead this change by embedding gender-responsive human rights due diligence into every layer of their supply chains and by partnering with organisations that centre women’s voices and expertise. Women Working Worldwide stands ready to support this journey, bringing decades of experience in advancing women workers’ rights across global supply chains. By working together, we can move beyond commitments to meaningful impact that creates safer, more equitable workplaces where women are not only protected, but empowered. Because real change happens when women are not just seen in supply chains, but heard, valued, and supported at every step.