Abstract
Epidemiological evidence has shown an association between exposure to high temperatures and occupational injuries, an issue gaining importance with environmental change. The aim of this study was to better understand contributing risk factors and preventive actions based on personal experiences. Interviews were conducted with 21 workers from five Australian states using a critical phenomenological approach to capture the lived experiences of participants, whilst exploring contextual factors that surround these experiences. Two case studies are presented: a cerebrovascular injury and injuries among seasonal horticulture workers. Other accounts of heat-related injuries and heat stress are also presented. Risk factors were classified as individual, interpersonal and organizational. In terms of prevention, participants recommended greater awareness of heat risks and peer-support for co-workers. Adding value to current evidence, we have provided new insights into the etiology of the health consequences of workplace heat exposure with workers identifying a range of influencing factors, prevention measures and adaptation strategies. Underpinning the importance of these are future climate change scenarios, suggesting that extended hot seasons will lead to increasing numbers of workers at risk of heat-stress and associated occupational injuries.
Highlights
It is becoming widely recognized that occupational health and safety (OHS) and productivity can be compromised in hot conditions, with several studies reporting on the phenomenon in Canada [1,2,3], the United States of America [4,5], Europe [6,7], Asia [8,9] and Australia [10,11,12,13,14,15,16]
Whereas responsibility can be personal, shared or organizational, this raises the question about blame if an incident occurs. On this topic a participant said: We have to change this idea that as soon as there is an incident everybody has to overreact and start, basically I suppose, um putting it back on the injured party to you know, like blaming them for the fact that there’s been an incident, or blaming the, you know, their company . . . So just recognize the fact that yes it is hot, . . . so we have to find a solution to it rather than trying to blame someone for it (#2, mining). This critical phenomenological study captured rich data about the lived experiences of occupational injuries and incidents incurred in hot environments, and contextualized these in reference to workplace processes, norms and conditions
Our findings highlight the complexities in causes and effects of heat-related incidents affecting outdoor workers, and those working in non-cooled indoor environments, such as manufacturing and underground mining. This resonates with a previous study where it was noted that the majority of calls about heat stress to a regulator’s help line were from people concerned about conditions in hot indoor work environments [37]
Summary
It is becoming widely recognized that occupational health and safety (OHS) and productivity can be compromised in hot conditions, with several studies reporting on the phenomenon in Canada [1,2,3], the United States of America [4,5], Europe [6,7], Asia [8,9] and Australia [10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. The causal pathway linking high temperatures and health and safety incidents in workers is underpinned by altered behavior and the failure of the body’s ability to balance body heat gained, Int. J. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 846; doi:10.3390/ijerph17030846 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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