Heat Impacts on Work, Human Performance, and Daily Life

Kjellström, Tord; Lemke, Bruno; Otto, P. Matthias; Hyatt, Olivia M.; Briggs, David; Freyberg, Chris

doi:10.1093/med/9780190202453.003.0004

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the occupational setting, interest in investigating the impacts of temperatures on workers' health and safety, particularly high temperatures, has been increasing since the fourth assessment report (2005)(2006)(2007) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) where rising heat was first raised as a concern for workplaces. (14)(15)(16)(17)(18) In addition to heat-induced illnesses, work stress, physical discomfort and losses in work capacity and productivity, cumulative exposure to hot and cold temperatures at the workplace can place workers at risk of accidents/injuries. (15,16,18) Results of several experimental studies point towards an effect on accidents and injuries through diminished human performance due to factors such as fatigue, loss of alertness, lack of coordination and altered judgment, loss of dexterity and general discomfort.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical variation in risk of work-related injuries and illnesses associated with ambient temperatures: A multi-city case-crossover study in Australia, 2005–2016

Varghese

Barnett

Hansen

et al. 2019

Science of The Total Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The thermal working environment can have direct and in-direct effects on health and safety. Ambient temperatures have been associated with an increased risk of occupational injuries but it is unknown how the relationship can vary by weather, location and climate.Objectives: To examine the relationship between ambient temperatures and work-related injury and illness compensation claims in three Australian cities: Melbourne and Perth (temperate climate) and Brisbane (subtropical climate) in order to determine how hot and cold weather influences the risk of occupational injury in Australia.Methods: Workers' compensation claims from each city for the period 2005 to 2016 were merged with local daily weather data. A time-stratified case-crossover design combined with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to quantify the impacts of daily maximum temperature (Tmax) on the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses.Results: Compared to the median maximum temperature (Tmax), extremely hot temperatures (99th percentile) were associated with a 14% (95%CI: 3-25%) increase in total workers' compensation claims in Melbourne, but there were no observed effects in Brisbane or Perth, with the exception of traumatic injuries that increased by 17% (95%CI: 3-35%) during extreme heat in Perth. For extremely low temperatures (1st percentile), there was a protective effect in Brisbane (RR 0.89; 95%CI: 0.81-0.98), while no effects were observed in Melbourne or Perth. Conclusion:The relationship between injury and ambient temperature appears to be variable depending on location and climate. In general, work-related injuries and illnesses appear to be more common at higher temperatures than lower temperatures. Adopting adaptation and prevention measures could reduce the social and economic burden of injury, and formulating 4 effective measures for dealing with high temperatures should be prioritised given the 56 predicted increase in the frequency and intensity of hot weather.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geographical variation in risk of work-related injuries and illnesses associated with ambient temperatures: A multi-city case-crossover study in Australia, 2005–2016

Varghese

Barnett

Hansen

et al. 2019

Science of The Total Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…If the proposed heat safety recommendations can realistically be implemented with limited disruption of workers' standard working procedures (i.e., feasible), employers are more likely to adopt the safety practices. Unfortunately, some employers are focused on economic growth and productivity in lieu of safety practices that are associated with positive safety and health outcomes, despite the plethora of literature that links heat stress to productivity losses (Kjellstrom et al., 2009 , 2014 ; Lee et al., 2018 ; NIOSH, 2016 ; Parsons, 2009 ). To enhance employer adoption of occupational heat safety, safety programs should provide feasible (i.e., productivity enhancing) recommendations that protect the health and safety of workers susceptible to heat stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat Safety in the Workplace: Modified Delphi Consensus to Establish Strategies and Resources to Protect the US Workers

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This document presents feasible, evidenced-based occupational heat safety recommendations to protect workers from the dangers of heat  A roundtable of 51 experts created 40 heat safety recommendations within eight heat safety topics heat hygiene, hydration, heat acclimatization, environmental monitoring, physiological monitoring, body cooling, textiles and personal protective gear, and emergency action plan implementation  Implementing feasible and effective heat safety plans in the workplace will protect worker health and mitigate productivity losses.

show abstract

“…Sub-Saharan tropical countries will experience a disproportionate increase in the number of extremely hot days, when compared to Western countries with more temperate climates (Engelbrecht et al, 2015;Spector and Sheffield, 2014;Asefi-Najafabady et al, 2018). The rise in ambient temperatures will negatively impact large groups of the working population (Kjellstrom et al, 2016;Kovats and Hajat, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Workers in these countries who carry out various forms of manual labor outdoors (in sun or shade) or work indoors without air conditioning are the most vulnerable and may be forced to considerably reduce their work time because of the heat (Kjellstrom et al, 2016;Nilsson and Kjellstrom, 2010). Loss in hourly productivity with increasing ambient temperature occurs as humans initially try to adapt by physiological (sweating) and behavioral (self-pacing) mechanisms in an effort to maintain thermoregulation; should these mechanisms fail, a spectrum of heat-related illnesses can occur if interventions are not taken to reduce the core body temperature (Cheung et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational health impacts of climate change across different climate zones and elevations in sub-Saharan East Africa

Kruse¹,

Ezenwanne²,

Otto³

et al. 2021

Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change will cause Sub-Saharan tropical countries to experience a disproportionate increase in the number of extremely hot days when compared to Western countries with more temperate climates. We use the High Occupational Temperature Health and Productivity Suppression (HOTHAPS) model to estimate the potential impact of rising temperatures on worker productivity in different climate regions within Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya under varying future climate change scenarios. Using population data obtained from the International Labor Organization, we also estimate productivity losses at a country-wide level. We project large inter-country and intra-country disparities in productivity losses due to varying climatic conditions and local geography. Populations living in lower elevations or in more tropical and arid zones will experience higher productivity losses than those at higher elevations with more temperate climates. We estimate that some areas could lose over 12% productivity by 2099. Comparing climate change impacts across cities, Mombasa, Kenya, is projected to suffer most, losing 13% of its labor productivity. Cities above 1500 m in elevation showed almost no productivity loss by the end of the century. Increased heat stress projected from climate change will pose added risk to workers and labor production in lower elevation settings across East Africa.

show abstract

Heat Impacts on Work, Human Performance, and Daily Life

Cited by 10 publications

References 0 publications

Geographical variation in risk of work-related injuries and illnesses associated with ambient temperatures: A multi-city case-crossover study in Australia, 2005–2016

Geographical variation in risk of work-related injuries and illnesses associated with ambient temperatures: A multi-city case-crossover study in Australia, 2005–2016

Heat Safety in the Workplace: Modified Delphi Consensus to Establish Strategies and Resources to Protect the US Workers

Occupational health impacts of climate change across different climate zones and elevations in sub-Saharan East Africa

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About