Performances of Limited Area Models for the WORKLIMATE Heat–Health Warning System to Protect Worker’s Health and Productivity in Italy

Abstract

Outdoor workers are particularly exposed to climate conditions, and in particular, the increase of environmental temperature directly affects their health and productivity. For these reasons, in recent years, heat-health warning systems have been developed for workers generally using heat stress indicators obtained by the combination of meteorological parameters to describe the thermal stress induced by the outdoor environment on the human body. There are several studies on the verification of the parameters predicted by meteorological models, but very few relating to the validation of heat stress indicators. This study aims to verify the performance of two limited area models, with different spatial resolution, potentially applicable in the occupational heat health warning system developed within the WORKLIMATE project for the Italian territory. A comparison between the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature predicted by the models and that obtained by data from 28 weather stations was carried out over about three summer seasons in different daily time slots, using the most common skill of performance. The two meteorological models were overall comparable for much of the Italian explored territory, while major limits have emerged in areas with complex topography. This study demonstrated the applicability of limited area models in occupational heat health warning systems.

Heat and health of occupational workers: a short summary of literature

“… 50 One study highlighted the importance of mobile technology to provide heat safety education for farm workers, 51 and 2 studies discussed the development of heat-health warning systems in the occupational context for the protection of workers. 52 , 53 …”

Effects of Temperatures and Heatwaves on Occupational Injuries in the Agricultural Sector in Italy

“…The physiological link between heat exposure and workers concerns both health and productivity [11] and depends on individual characteristics [10] as well as outdoor working conditions [46], that can be, however, mitigated by practices like hydration, work-time shifting, work-rest cycles and ventilated clothing [15,[47][48][49]. In this context, the recent Italian Worklimate project has developed a heat stress forecasting system for different outdoor working scenarios [50], developing informative and training material for employers and workers to help raise awareness and prevent heat stress and injuries among workers (https://www.worklimate.it/en/, accessed on 17 November 2022).…”

The impact of temperature on labor productivity——evidence from temperature-sensitive enterprises

“…The construction industry is vulnerable to climate change risks because of its dependence on temperature and seasonal conditions. Most construction work is conducted outdoors and is labor-intensive, so workers' health and productivity are directly affected by temperature changes (Grifoni et al, 2021). Kim and Hong's (2020) thermal evaluation questionnaire results indicated that humans function most efficiently and comfortably at 25 °C.…”

“…However, agricultural and construction workers frequently wear personal protective gear and clothes, especially when engaging in outside tasks. This can dramatically reduce body heat loss and increase heat stress (Grifoni et al, 2021). When air temperature approaches or exceeds skin temperature (31 °C-32 °C), it is almost ineffective for the human body to dissipate heat through natural air convection; instead, sweat evaporation takes over as the primary method of heat dissipation (Hargreaves, 2008).…”