Occupational heat stress in Australian workplaces

Abstract

The aim of this review was to summarize the current state of knowledge on heat stress risk within typical Australian occupational settings. We assessed identified occupations (mining, agriculture, construction, emergency services) for heat production and heat loss potential, and resultant levels of physiological heat strain. A total of 29 reports were identified that assessed in-situ work settings in Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, that measured physiological responses and characterized the thermal environment. Despite workers across all industries being regularly exposed to high ambient temperatures (32–42°C) often coupled with high absolute humidity (max: 33 hPa), physiological strain is generally low in terms of core temperature (<38°C) and dehydration (<1 % reduction in mass) by virtue of the low energy demands of many tasks, and self-regulated pacing of work possible in most jobs. Heat stress risk is higher in specific jobs in agriculture (e.g. sheep shearing), deep underground mining, and emergency services (e.g., search/rescue and bushfire fighting). Heat strain was greatest in military-related activities, particularly externally-paced marching with carried loads which resulted in core temperatures often exceeding 39.5°C despite being carried out in cooler environments. The principal driver of core temperature elevations in most jobs is the rate of metabolic heat production. A standardized approach to evaluating the risk of occupational heat strain in Australian workplaces is recommended defining the individual parameters that alter human heat balance. Future research should also more closely examine female workers and occupational activities within the forestry and agriculture/horticulture sector.

Occupational cooling practices of emergency first responders in the United States: A survey

“…Similar rates of heat illness have been reported in radiation decontamination workers in Japan (48%) [19] and Naval Aircrew in the United Kingdom (58%) [18]. Most likely as a consequence of combining encapsulation and high metabolic demands [26], HAZMAT and fire departments reported the greatest rates of heat illness/injury in the previous year, 72% and 65% respectively. Epidemiological reports into occupational heat illness in Washington State between 2000-2009 noted fire fighters had the highest prevalence and susceptibility to heat illness/injury even at lower ambient temperatures than many other outdoor occupations [27].…”

Exploring the effects of high temperature on mortality in four cities in the Philippines using various heat wave definitions in different mortality subgroups

“…In Thailand, construction workers reported suffering from severe heat strain due to the physically strenuous workload [39]. Heat stress, aside from the physical strain it imposes on the body, affects workers through heat exhaustion, which may lead to heat stroke and eventual death [40]. …”

Association between air temperatures and occupational injuries: a case-crossover analysis using workers’ compensation claims data in the construction industries in Northern Italy

“…Estimated incidence of OIs during the study period was 6.2 events by day (95%CI 6.1-6.4), with an estimated cumulative incidence of 3.1 OIs / 10,000 workers / day (95%CI 3.0-3.15). As shown in A significantly higher risk for OIs in Summer days as well as in HW time-period was identified also in regression analysis (OR 1.200, 95%CI 1.104-1.304, and 1.093, 95%CI 1.042-1.146), and again Frost days were associated with a significantly reduced risk (OR 0.892, 95%CI 0.831-0.957), in particular for subjects 20-29 year-old (OR 0.822, 95%CI 0.712-0.951) and [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] year-old (0.779, 95%CI 0.680-0.891) ( Table 3). However, when focusing on the severity of the OIs (i.e.…”

“…Because of a combination of external thermal environment, heat sources in the workplace, and internal heat generation by physical activity associated with strenuous muscular work, climate changes and eventual heat exposure represent an even greater challenge to workers' health and safety, especially in persons with pre-existing illnesses (2,7,(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28). The risk of heat-related health effects appears significantly increased in outdoors workers, including construction workers (CW), for several reasons (1, 3,18,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. First and foremost, even though the mechanization of many tasks may reduce the strenuous physical labour carried out by CWs, many activities still require exhausting manual work, and extensive mechanization requires economic resources that are often beyond the financial capacity of many small companies (i.e.…”

“…As high temperatures can affect cognition, hamper concentration, reduce vigilance and increase fatigue, working during extreme warm weather would ultimately increase the risk of mistakes, accidents and injuries (18,35,36,(42)(43)(44), especially in subjects who otherwise would spend little time outdoor, such as part-time or seasonal workers (29). Moreover, higher temperatures may force the workers to reduce the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), ultimately increasing the risk for OIs associated with the exposure to dusts and chemicals (1, 3,18,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]41).…”