Workers’ Perception Heat Stress: Results from a Pilot Study Conducted in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Bonafede, Michela; Levi, Miriam; Pietrafesa, Emma; Binazzi, Alessandra; Marinaccio, Alessandro; Morabito, Marco; Pinto, Iole; Donato, Francesca De'; Grasso, Valentina; Costantini, Tiziano; Messeri, Alessandro

doi:10.3390/ijerph19138196

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A meta-analysis reported a higher risk (RR: 1.009, p-value: < 0.001) for young workers (age <35 years), possibly attributable to inexperience [31] but, on the other hand, there is evidence of higher risks among elderly workers, due to physiological mechanisms [11,53] and comorbidities [54]. In Italy, a greater risk for the under 35s is reported by both Marinaccio et al [22] and Gariazzo et al [41], probably due to an underestimation of the risk or a lack of training on specific risks [21]. In 35-60 year old workers, although a lower risk was found, the highest impact in terms of the number of attributable injuries was estimated, as the greatest proportion of workers are in this age group, suggesting the need to enhance prevention measures and awareness campaigns for both workers and employees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In fact, workers employed in specific occupational sectors working outdoors can be particularly exposed to extreme events and physical fatigue for prolonged periods of time, which can lead to heat stress [10][11][12][13], with consequences not only on productivity and occupational costs [14][15][16], but also on work capacity [17], with possible consequences on occupational injuries [18]. Moreover, a series of surveys were conducted [19][20][21] and found that the perception of heat-related risk in workplaces is underestimated by workers, so it is crucial to strengthen their awareness of the risks and define adequate prevention strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

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

Blasi¹,

Marinaccio

Gariazzo

et al. 2023

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of heat on health have been well documented, while less is known about the effects among agricultural workers. Our aim is to estimate the effects and impacts of heat on occupational injuries in the agricultural sector in Italy. Occupational injuries in the agricultural sector from the Italian national workers’ compensation authority (INAIL) and daily mean air temperatures from Copernicus ERA5-land for a five-year period (2014–2018) were considered. Distributed lag non-linear models (DLNM) were used to estimate the relative risk and attributable injuries for increases in daily mean air temperatures between the 75th and 99th percentile and during heatwaves. Analyses were stratified by age, professional qualification, and severity of injury. A total of 150,422 agricultural injuries were considered and the overall relative risk of injury for exposure to high temperatures was 1.13 (95% CI: 1.08; 1.18). A higher risk was observed among younger workers (15–34 years) (1.23 95% CI: 1.14; 1.34) and occasional workers (1.25 95% CI: 1.03; 1.52). A total of 2050 heat-attributable injuries were estimated in the study period. Workers engaged in outdoor and labour-intensive activities in the agricultural sector are at greater risk of injury and these results can help target prevention actions for climate change adaptation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Blasi¹,

Marinaccio

Gariazzo

et al. 2023

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most field studies (20 out of 32) were conducted in low- or middle-income countries ( 18 , 20 – 22 , 24 , 27 , 29 – 31 , 33 , 37 , 38 , 40 – 42 , 45 – 47 , 49 ), with only 11 studies from Europe, the USA, and Australia/New Zealand ( 19 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 28 , 34 , 35 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 48 ) and 1 multicenter study ( 36 ). Three studies were qualitative, based on interviews or focus groups ( 28 , 33 , 43 ), while the other studies were quantitative with 27 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies ( 26 , 42 ) and provided an estimation of the association between heat and labor productivity measured in the field or perceived by workers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational heat stress, heat-related effects and the related social and economic loss: a scoping literature review

Sario¹,

de’Donato²,

Bonafede

et al. 2023

Front. Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionWhile there is consistent evidence on the effects of heat on workers' health and safety, the evidence on the resulting social and economic impacts is still limited. A scoping literature review was carried out to update the knowledge about social and economic impacts related to workplace heat exposure.MethodsThe literature search was conducted in two bibliographic databases (Web of Science and PubMed), to select publications from 2010 to April 2022.ResultsA total of 89 studies were included in the qualitative synthesis (32 field studies, 8 studies estimating healthcare-related costs, and 49 economic studies). Overall, consistent evidence of the socioeconomic impacts of heat exposure in the workplace emerges. Actual productivity losses at the global level are nearly 10% and are expected to increase up to 30–40% under the worst climate change scenario by the end of the century. Vulnerable regions are mainly low-latitude and low- and middle-income countries with a greater proportion of outdoor workers but include also areas from developed countries such as southern Europe. The most affected sectors are agriculture and construction. There is limited evidence regarding the role of cooling measures and changes in the work/rest schedule in mitigating heat-related productivity loss.ConclusionThe available evidence highlights the need for strengthening prevention efforts to enhance workers' awareness and resilience toward occupational heat exposure, particularly in low- and middle-income countries but also in some areas of developed countries where an increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves is expected under future climate change scenarios.

show abstract

“…Many recent epidemiological studies have provided evidence of the association between heat exposure and the risk of accidents at work, and this phenomenon can be explained by a decrease in cognitive performance in people who work in hot environment [ 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatic changes: knowledge and adaptation behavior to heat-related illness among solid waste disposal workers

Elshamy,

Eladl,

Zaitoun

2024

J. Egypt. Public. Health. Assoc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Earth’s climate changes are progressing at an alarming rate. One of the most severe effects of climate change is extreme heat. This study aimed to assess knowledge and adaptation behavior to heat-related illness (HRI) among solid waste disposal workers in the 10th of Ramadan City, Egypt, and to study the predictors for their knowledge and adaptation behavior. Methods An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted on 220 solid waste disposal workers. A structured interview questionnaire was used to assess the studied workers’ sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, heat exposure risk, and their knowledge, and adaptation behavior. Results The results showed that 40% and 30% of participants had adequate levels of total knowledge and adaptation behavior, respectively. There was a statistically significant relationship between workers’ knowledge and both age and education. There was a statistically significant relationship between workers’ adaptation behavior and age, duration of employment, working hours, and education. A binary logistic regression for significant predictors of knowledge and adaptation behavior showed that age and education were the most significant predictors. Conclusion Solid waste disposal workers were at high risk of HRI due to their low levels of knowledge and adaptation behavior regarding HRI. Educational health programs that guide workers to follow healthy behaviors and prevent HRI are recommended.

show abstract

Workers’ Perception Heat Stress: Results from a Pilot Study Conducted in Italy during the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020

Cited by 20 publications

References 40 publications

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

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

Occupational heat stress, heat-related effects and the related social and economic loss: a scoping literature review

Climatic changes: knowledge and adaptation behavior to heat-related illness among solid waste disposal workers

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About