Exploring Heat Stress Relief Measures among the Australian Labour Force.

Kerstin Zander,Stephen Garnett,Supriya Mathew

doi:10.3390/ijerph15030401

Kerstin Zander, Stephen Garnett + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15030401

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Abstract

Australia experiences frequent heat waves and generally high average temperatures throughout the continent with substantial impacts on human health and the economy. People adapt to heat by adopting various relief measures in their daily lives including changing their behaviour. Many labour intensive outdoor industries implement standards for heat stress management for their workforce. However, little is known about how people cope with heat at their workplaces apart from studies targeting some specific industries where labourers are exposed to extreme heat. Here, we analysed responses from 1719 people in the Australian labour force to self-reported heat stress and associated coping mechanisms. Three quarters of respondents experienced heat stress at their workplace with fatigue and headache being the two most frequently stated symptoms. Almost all of those who were affected by heat would hydrate (88%), 67% would cool, and 44% would rest as a strategy for coping with heat. About 10% intended to change their jobs because of heat stress in the workplace. We found differences in heat relief measures across gender, education, health, level of physical intensity of job, and time spent working outside. People working in jobs that were not very demanding physically were more likely to choose cooling down as a relief measure, while those in labour intensive jobs and jobs that required considerable time outside were more likely to rest. This has potential consequences for their productivity and work schedules. Heat affects work in Australia in many types of industry with impact dependent on workforce acclimatisation, yet public awareness and work relief plans are often limited to outdoor and labour intensive industries. Industries and various levels of government in all sectors need to implement standards for heat management specific to climate zones to help people cope better with high temperatures as well as plan strategies in anticipation of projected temperature increases.

Highlights

Occupational health issues from heat have long been a concern for occupations involving intense physical labour and or exposure to high temperatures
Many (38%) had a university degree or a certificate or diploma (34%; Table 1). This is comparable with the sample of other online surveys which tend to undertaken by better educated people than those participating in other survey modes [34,35]
We found that people in labour intensive and outdoor work sectors were not more likely to be often or sometimes stressed than those in non-vulnerable jobs

Summary

Introduction

Occupational health issues from heat have long been a concern for occupations involving intense physical labour and or exposure to high temperatures. The health effects of heat in Australia are diverse, ranging from aggravated cardio-respiratory-renal issues to preterm deliveries [9–12]. Because heat reduces worker productivity [18,19] and leads to higher work place accident rates [20–22], some sectors, such as mining, military and construction, have heat stress risk assessment, management and prevention plans in place, administered through the umbrella of “Health and Safety”. These guidelines often provide information about the length of time that workers can physically and

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