Heat Illness Among North Carolina Latino Farmworkers

Arcury, Thomas A.; Summers, Phillip; Talton, Jennifer W.; Chen, Haiying; Sandberg, Joanne C.; Johnson, Chaya R. Spears; Quandt, Sara A.

doi:10.1097/jom.0000000000000552

Cited by 46 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…For meta-analyses five and six, GRADE analysis revealed that the true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect (very low confidence). Most (68%) 4,6,26,[33][34][35][39][40][41][42][43]45,46,[50][51][52][53][54][55]56,57, of the included studies incorporated low risk for selection bias, with the remaining studies presenting selection bias that was non-applicable (10%), 36, unclear (16%), 37,[47][48][49]118,[127][128][129][130][131][132] or, in some cases, high risk (6%) 5,38,44,133 due to acrossgroup variation in inclusion or exclusion criteria, and across-group differences in participant recruitment or selection. Most (61%) of the included studies incorporated low risk for confounding factors bias, with the remaining studies presenting confounding factor bias that was unclear (16%) 6 ,26,36,38,60,62,63,67,80,84,85,92,98-100,102,105,107-111,113,114,134-136 or high risk (23%) 33 ,35,37,44,45,47,49,59,66,74,83,86,89,91,94,96,118,127,128,132…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Flouris

Dinas

Ioannou

et al. 2018

The Lancet Planetary Health

323

233

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Background Occupational heat strain (ie, the effect of environmental heat stress on the body) directly threatens workers' ability to live healthy and productive lives. We estimated the effects of occupational heat strain on workers' health and productivity outcomes. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines for this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed and Embase from database inception to Feb 5, 2018, for relevant studies in any labour environment and at any level of occupational heat strain. No restrictions on language, workers' health status, or study design were applied. Occupational heat strain was defined using international health and safety guidelines and standards. We excluded studies that calculated effects using simulations or statistical models instead of actual measurements, and any grey literature. Risk of bias, data extraction, and sensitivity analysis were performed by two independent investigators. Six random-effects meta-analyses estimated the prevalence of occupational heat strain, kidney disease or acute kidney injury, productivity loss, core temperature, change in urine specific gravity, and odds of occupational heat strain occurring during or at the end of a work shift in heat stress conditions. The review protocol is available on PROSPERO, registration number CRD42017083271. Findings Of 958 reports identified through our systematic search, 111 studies done in 30 countries, including 447 million workers from more than 40 different occupations, were eligible for analysis. Our meta-analyses showed that individuals working a single work shift under heat stress (defined as wet-bulb globe temperature beyond 22•0 or 24•8°C depending on work intensity) were 4•01 times (95% CI 2•45-6•58; nine studies with 11 582 workers) more likely to experience occupational heat strain than an individual working in thermoneutral conditions, while their core temperature was increased by 0•7°C (0•4-1•0; 17 studies with 1090 workers) and their urine specific gravity was increased by 14•5% (0•0031, 0•0014-0•0048; 14 studies with 691 workers). During or at the end of a work shift under heat stress, 35% (31-39; 33 studies with 13 088 workers) of workers experienced occupational heat strain, while 30% (21-39; 11 studies with 8076 workers) reported productivity losses. Finally, 15% (11-19; ten studies with 21 721 workers) of individuals who typically or frequently worked under heat stress (minimum of 6 h per day, 5 days per week, for 2 months of the year) experienced kidney disease or acute kidney injury. Overall, this analysis include a variety of populations, exposures, and occupations to comply with a wider adoption of evidence synthesis, but resulted in large heterogeneity in our meta-analyses. Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation analysis revealed moderate confidence for most results and very low confidence in two cases (average core temperature and change in urine specific gravity) due to studies being funded by industry. Interpretation Occupational heat strain has importan...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Flouris

Dinas

Ioannou

et al. 2018

The Lancet Planetary Health

323

233

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…5 Farmworkers are at an elevated risk for occupational injury and illness, including HRI, due to limited safety regulations, substandard housing conditions, long work hours, limited access to healthcare, social vulnerability due to guest-worker or immigration status, and working during peak summer heat. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Hired Latinx children constitute an especially vulnerable population within the larger farmworker community. 14,15 Findings from research with farmworkers and other outdoor workers are concerning, given the prognosis of higher global temperatures due to climate change.…”

Section: Heat-related Illness and Farmworkersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Oregon, and California has documented high prevalence of HRI and other heat-related conditions among farmworkers. 9,13,[17][18][19][20][21][22] In addition to the health risks of HRI, recent reviews observed increased occupational injury risk in high temperatures among young workers, male workers, and agricultural workers. 23,24 The percent of farmworkers who are women has increased substantially since 2001, [25][26][27] and research is documenting factors related to HRI among women workers.…”

Section: Heat-related Illness and Farmworkersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat-Related Illness Among Latinx Child Farmworkers in North Carolina: A Mixed-Methods Study

et al. 2020

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Children as young as ten are legally hired for farm work. In North Carolina, many of these hired children are Latinx; they often work long hours during hot and humid summer conditions. Heat-related illness occurs along a continuum of severity ranging from heat cramps and rashes to heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be fatal. The literature on the negative health effects of occupational heat exposure is growing; however, few studies have examined this exposure and health outcomes among child agricultural workers. To understand Latinx child farmworkers’ experiences of working in heat, we conducted in-depth interviews (n = 30). To estimate the prevalence of heat-related illness symptoms and associated factors, we conducted survey interviews (n = 165). Heat-related illness is common among these child farmworkers. While children often understand the dangers of working in heat, work organization often prevents their taking precautions. Formal workplace protections to prevent heat-related illness are limited.

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“…Nationwide, about a quarter of HRI deaths have been reported in the Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting industrial sector which comprises a significant portion of the economy in WA. Prior studies among agricultural workers have described a range of self‐reported prevalence of HRI symptoms, from 35% of workers reporting HRI in the previous 3 months in one study to 72% of workers reporting heat associated symptoms in the previous week 14,15 . The variable prevalence estimates of HRI symptoms can be partially attributed to multiple factors including differences in symptom recognition, HRI reporting, and varying levels of occupational and environmental exposures across sample populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat related illness among workers in Washington State: A descriptive study using workers' compensation claims, 2006‐2017

Hesketh

Wuellner

Robinson

et al. 2020

American J Industrial Med

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Background Heat related illness (HRI) places a significant burden on the health and safety of working populations and its impacts will likely increase with climate change. The aim of this study was to characterize the demographic and occupational characteristics of Washington workers who suffered from HRI from 2006 to 2017 using workers' compensation claims data. Methods We used Washington workers' compensation data linked to weather station data to identify cases of work‐related HRI. We utilized Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System codes, International Classification of Diseases 9/10 codes, and medical review to identify accepted and rejected Washington State (WA) workers' compensation claims for HRI from 2006 to 2017. We estimated rates of HRI by industry and evaluated patterns by ambient temperature. Results We detected 918 confirmed Washington workers' compensation HRI claims from 2006 to 2017, 654 were accepted and 264 were rejected. Public Administration had the highest third quarter rate (131.3 per 100 000 full time employees [FTE]), followed by Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting (102.6 per 100 000 FTE). The median maximum daytime temperature was below the Washington heat rule threshold for 45% of the accepted HRI claims. Latinos were estimated to be overrepresented in HRI cases. Conclusion The WA heat rule threshold may not be adequately protecting workers and racial disparities are present in occupational HRI. Employers should take additional precautions to prevent HRI depending on the intensity of heat exposure. States without heat rules and with large industry sectors disproportionately affected by HRI should consider regulations to protect outdoor workers in the face of more frequent and extreme heat waves.

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Heat Illness Among North Carolina Latino Farmworkers

Cited by 46 publications

References 22 publications

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Workers' health and productivity under occupational heat strain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Heat-Related Illness Among Latinx Child Farmworkers in North Carolina: A Mixed-Methods Study

Heat related illness among workers in Washington State: A descriptive study using workers' compensation claims, 2006‐2017

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