Risk Of Heat Stress Research Articles

Managing drought risk in a changing climate: Irrigation and cultivar impacts on Michigan asparagus

Increasing temperatures and rainfall variability in the Midwestern U.S. have spurred interest in strategies to reduce risks of heat and drought stress in traditionally rainfed crops including asparagus. A long-term field experiment was conducted on sandy soils in Western Michigan from 2010-17 to evaluate the effects of three levels of irrigation (none, overhead or sub-surface drip) and two asparagus cultivars (Guelph Millennium [GM] and Jersey Supreme [JS]) for reducing these risks. Overhead irrigation during the fern growth period resulted in cumulative yield improvements of 10% for GM during the 2012-17 growing seasons, with the largest yield benefits (21%) occurring in 2012, following hot, dry conditions the previous summer. In contrast, cumulative yields of JS were unaffected by irrigation, and yield reductions of 13% due to irrigation were observed in 2017, following wet conditions the previous late summer and fall. Estimates of cultivar water-use by depth suggest that JS was better able to tolerate drought due to a deeper root system compared to GM. However, our results suggest that JS may also be more sensitive than GM to excessive soil moisture during fall senescence. Yield response did not vary with delivery system, but sub-surface drip used less water than overhead irrigation. These results demonstrate the important role of both genetics and management practices in mitigating drought risk.

Quantification and evaluation of intra-urban heat-stress variability in Seoul, Korea.

This study quantifies heat-stress hazard (air temperature), vulnerability (heat vulnerability index and age score), and risk (heat-related mortality) on the district scale in Seoul, Korea, for a comprehensive heat-stress impact assessment. Moreover, the heat-stress impact assessment is evaluated by checking the spatial consistency between heat-stress hazard, vulnerability, and risk, which was rarely done before. We applied numerical and geo-empirical models to simulate the spatial pattern of heat-stress hazard. For heat-stress vulnerability, we used demographic and socioeconomic factors. Heat-related mortality was estimated based on an event-based heat-stress risk analysis. Results are that heat-stress hazard, vulnerability, and risk are spatially variable in Seoul. The highest heat-stress hazard was detected in the districts Mapo, Yeongdeungpo, and Yangcheon, the highest vulnerability in Jongno and the highest risk in Jongno and Yangcheon. The different components (heat-stress hazard, vulnerability, and risk) and variables (heat vulnerability index and percentage of seniors) showed different spatial patterns. Knowledge about the causes of higher heat-stress risk, either the hazard or vulnerability, is helpful to design tailored adaptation measures that focus on the reduction of thermal loads or on the preparation of the vulnerable population. The evaluation showed that heat-stress vulnerability and hazard explain the spatial pattern of risk only partly. This highlights the need to evaluate heat-stress impact assessment systems to produce reliable urban heat-stress maps.

Climate change and occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies of mining workers: Perspectives of supervisors and other stakeholders in Ghana

Increasing air temperatures as a result of climate change are worsening the impact of heat exposure on working populations, including mining workers, who are at risk of suffering heat-related illnesses, injury and death. However, inadequate awareness of climate change-related occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies have been shown to render occupational heat stress management ineffective. A concurrent mixed-methods approach was used to assess the perceptions of climate change and occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies of mining workers among supervisory personnel and other stakeholders in Ghana. Questionnaires and interviews were used to elicit data from 19 respondents. Data were processed and interpreted using descriptive statistics, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests, and thematic analysis. Supervisors’ climate change risks perception was adequate, and their concern about workplace heat exposure risks was moderate. Mining workers’ occupational heat stress risks experiences were linked to heat-related illness and minor injuries. Mining workers’ adaptation strategies included water intake, use of cooling mechanisms, work-break practices, and clothing use. The related differences in job experience in the distribution of climate change risk perception and occupational heat stress risk experiences, and the difference in educational attainment in the distribution of adaptation strategies of occupational heat stress were significant (p < 0.05). Hence, an effective workplace heat management policy requires adequate understanding of occupational heat stress risks and adaptation policies and continued education and training for mining workers.

Shade in playgrounds: findings from a nationwide survey and implications for urban health policy

Providing effective shade in playgrounds may reduce children’s risk of sunburn, skin cancer, and heat stress, and increase play times. We aimed to determine the sufficiency of playground shade in New Zealand, a country with high skin cancer rates but limited research on regional shade practices. A random sample of one playground per 10,000 population was selected from each territorial local authority (TLA), for a total of 559 playgrounds. Google Earth satellite and Street View images were used to estimate the amount of shade (trees or built structures) covering playground activity areas at solar noon on the summer solstice. Most playgrounds (60%) had no shade over play equipment, seats, and tables. Playgrounds from more deprived areas were 43% less likely to have at least one source of shade (odds ratio = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.35–0.94). Shade sufficiency varied considerably between council regions, with the best shading practice observed in Waikato, Whangarei, and Wairarapa. The findings support policy efforts to increase shade nationwide. Establishing minimum standards for playground shade and showcasing successful efforts to date may help encourage TLAs with less shade to improve. Moreover, the display of sun safety signage may help promote sun protection behaviour among playground visitors.

A Systematic Review of Heat Load in Australian Livestock Transported by Sea.

Simple SummaryThe transport of livestock by sea (‘live export’) is an important contemporary animal welfare issue in Australia. There is particular concern for the effects of heat load on the welfare of sheep being shipped live from Australia to the Middle East during the Northern Hemisphere summer. To reduce bias in a contentious context, we performed a systematic review of the literature relevant to Australian sea transport, heat load, and livestock. We discuss the factors contributing to harmful heat load, pathways for mitigating risks and existing knowledge gaps. We identified several areas requiring research to address these knowledge gaps.The transport of animals by sea (‘live export’) is one of the most important current animal welfare issues in Australian society. Recent media attention has highlighted concerns regarding the effects of high environmental temperature and humidity on the welfare and mortality of sheep being shipped live from Australia to the Middle East, especially during the Northern Hemisphere summer. To improve understanding of how and why harmful heat load occurs, we systematically reviewed Australian research into heat load and sea transport. High thermal load occurs during the sea transport of sheep and cattle from Australia when animals are subject to hot and humid environmental conditions and cannot remove heat generated by metabolic processes in the body, potentially also gaining heat from the environment. Several approaches have been proposed to mitigate these risks, including avoidance of voyages in hot seasons, selection of heat-resistant livestock breeds, reducing stocking density, and improved ventilation. We identified a lack of scientific literature relating to heat load in animals transported by sea and considerable potential for bias in the literature that was found. We identified the following priority research areas: (i) experimental manipulation of variables thought to influence the incidence and severity of harmful heat load, including sheep density; (ii) further assessment of the Heat Stress Risk Assessment (HSRA) model used to predict heat load events, and (iii) development of a suite of animal welfare indicators that may allow identification of ‘at risk’ sheep before they reach debilitating heat load condition. Addressing these knowledge gaps will assist efforts to reduce the frequency and intensity of harmful heat load events.

Influence of changes in socioeconomic and climatic conditions on future heat-related health challenges in Europe

Abstract The majority of assessments of future heat-related health risk are based on projections of heat hazards superimposed solely on current socioeconomic conditions, thus neglecting the potential contribution of drivers of heat stress risk other than climate change. Partly to address this drawback, the climate change research community has developed a new scenario framework, made up of distinct sets of climate and socioeconomic scenarios. The few assessments of future heat-related health risk that have employed this new framework have focused on changes in population exposure but have often not accounted for future populations' vulnerability. In this paper, we combine European Shared Socioeconomic Pathways with Representative Concentration Pathways to provide spatially explicit European projections of heat-related health risk that account for multiple changes in both socioeconomic and climatic conditions. In doing so, we also address the challenge of accounting for projections of determinants of vulnerability under varying levels of socioeconomic development. Results reveal that the proportion of the European population at very high risk of heat stress will show a steady increase – from 0.4% currently to 20.3%, 32.6%, or 48.4% in 2050 depending on the scenario combination – unless substantial political changes occur rapidly and steadily shift the current socioeconomic development pathway towards sustainability. Ambitious mitigation policies associated with rapid technological progress to enhance human capital could also moderate future heat-related health challenges. Such challenges are unevenly spread across Europe, with the Mediterranean region and Scandinavia being respectively the most and the least impacted regions. Future heat-related health challenges are substantially influenced by varying levels of socioeconomic development, primarily through changes in vulnerability – changes in population exposure being only of secondary importance. The former may even have a more significant impact on future heat stress risk than climate change, particularly in the British Isles and in the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, there is an undeniable necessity to consider the future state of vulnerability – and its uncertainties under varying socioeconomic scenarios – when assessing future heat-related health challenges and designing health adaptation strategies.

Canopy and soil thermal patterns to support water and heat stress management in vineyards

Row crops such as grapevine are particularly vulnerable to heat stress under hot and dry conditions due to the combined effect of soil heat fluxes and of limited capacity for leaf/canopy evaporative cooling via transpiration. Therefore, a better understanding of grapevine responses to variations in air and soil temperature and of related heat fluxes are required in Mediterranean-type viticulture in order to optimize canopy and soil management practices, while saving irrigation water. Ground based thermography was used to monitor canopy (TC) and soil (TS) temperature patterns in a vineyard trained in a vertical shoot positioning trellis system. Measurements of heat exchanges in the vineyard were done along the day and throughout the season to predict vine’s water status and heat stress risks. Field trials were carried out in 2014 and 2015 in Alentejo winegrowing region (South Portugal) using two V. vinifera red varieties (Aragonez, syn. Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional) subjected to two deficit irrigation strategies. TC and TS measurements were complemented by punctual leaf and berry temperature measurements with thermocouples. Soil water content, leaf water potential and leaf gas exchange were also measured. TC was above the optimal temperature for leaf photosynthesis during a large part of the day (11:00-17:00 h), particularly under stressful atmospheric conditions (high VPD and irradiance) combined with lower soil water availability. The highest TC was measured at mid-late afternoon (17:00 h) indicating a delay relative to the highest Tair conditions. The basal part of the canopy (cluster zone) presented a temperature 1–2 °C higher than the upper part, whereas TS was on average 10–15 °C higher than TC. Variation in TS was coupled to sun radiation and TC correlated negatively with leaf water potential and stomatal conductance to water vapour. Our results suggest that TC can be used as a simple indicator of grapevine performance and as a parameter to feed grapevine growth models to estimate heat and water fluxes in irrigated vineyards. TS emerges as a thermal variable with potential use to manage heat and drought stress in vineyards.

Microclimate Variation and Estimated Heat Stress of Runners in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Marathon

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be held in July and August. As these are the hottest months in Tokyo, the risk of heat stress to athletes and spectators in outdoor sporting events is a serious concern. This study focuses on the marathon races, which are held outside for a prolonged time, and evaluates the potential heat stress of marathon runners using the COMFA (COMfort FormulA) Human Heat Balance (HBB) Model. The study applies a four-step procedure: (a) measure the thermal environment along the marathon course; (b) estimate heat stress on runners by applying COMFA; (c) identify locations where runners may be exposed to extreme heat stress; and (d) discuss measures to mitigate the heat stress on runners. On clear sunny days, the entire course is rated as ‘dangerous’ or ‘extremely dangerous’, and within the latter half of the course, there is a 10-km portion where values continuously exceed the extremely dangerous level. Findings illustrate which stretches have the highest need for mitigation measures, such as starting the race one hour earlier, allowing runners to run in the shade of buildings or making use of urban greenery including expanding the tree canopy.

Projected Changes in Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature under Alternative Climate Scenarios

The increased levels of Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs) in the atmosphere will result in increased near-surface air temperature and absolute humidity. These two factors increasingly pose a risk of heat stress to humans. The Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a widely used and validated index for assessing the environmental heat stress. Using the output from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) simulations of the four Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), we calculated the global and regional changes in WBGT. Globally, the WBGT is projected to increase by 0.6–1.7 °C for RCP 2.6 and 2.37–4.4 °C for RCP 8.5. At the regional scale, our analysis suggests a disproportionate increase in the WBGT over northern India, China, northern Australia, Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia. An increase in WBGT has consequences not only on human health but also on social and economic factors. These consequences may be exacerbated in developing economies, which are less able to adapt to the changing environmental conditions.

The effect of hot days on occupational heat stress in the manufacturing industry: implications for workers\u2019 well-being and productivity

Climate change is expected to exacerbate heat stress at the workplace in temperate regions, such as Slovenia. It is therefore of paramount importance to study present and future summer heat conditions and analyze the impact of heat on workers. A set of climate indices based on summer mean (Tmean) and maximum (Tmax) air temperatures, such as the number of hot days (HD: Tmax above 30 °C), and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) were used to account for heat conditions in Slovenia at six locations in the period 1981–2010. Observed trends (1961–2011) of Tmean and Tmax in July were positive, being larger in the eastern part of the country. Climate change projections showed an increase up to 4.5 °C for mean temperature and 35 days for HD by the end of the twenty-first century under the high emission scenario. The increase in WBGT was smaller, although sufficiently high to increase the frequency of days with a high risk of heat stress up to an average of a third of the summer days. A case study performed at a Slovenian automobile parts manufacturing plant revealed non-optimal working conditions during summer 2016 (WBGT mainly between 20 and 25 °C). A survey conducted on 400 workers revealed that 96% perceived the temperature conditions as unsuitable, and 56% experienced headaches and fatigue. Given these conditions and climate change projections, the escalating problem of heat is worrisome. The European Commission initiated a program of research within the Horizon 2020 program to develop a heat warning system for European workers and employers, which will incorporate case-specific solutions to mitigate heat stress.

Assessing Heat Stress and Health among Construction Workers in a Changing Climate: A Review.

Construction workers are at an elevated risk of heat stress, due to the strenuous nature of the work, high temperature work condition, and a changing climate. An increasing number of workers are at risk, as the industry’s growth has been fueled by high demand and vast numbers of immigrant workers entering into the U.S., the Middle East and Asia to meet the demand. The risk of heat-related illnesses is increased by the fact that little to no regulations are present and/or enforced to protect these workers. This review recognizes the issues by summarizing epidemiological studies both in the U.S. and internationally. These studies have assessed the severity with which construction workers are affected by heat stress, risk factors and co-morbidities associated with heat-related illnesses in the construction industry, vulnerable populations, and efforts in implementing preventive measures.

Maximum Skin Wettedness after Aerobic Training with and without Heat Acclimation.

To quantify how maximum skin wettedness (ωmax); that is, the determinant of the boundary between compensable and uncompensable heat stress, is altered by aerobic training in previously unfit individuals and further augmented by heat acclimation. Eight untrained individuals completed an 8-wk aerobic training program immediately followed by 8 d of hot/humid (38°C, 65%RH) heat acclimation. Participants completed a humidity ramp protocol pretraining (PRE-TRN), posttraining (POST-TRN), and after heat acclimation (POST-HA), involving treadmill marching at a heat production of 450 W for 105 min in 37.5°C, 2.0 kPa (35%RH). After attaining a steady-state esophageal temperature (Tes), humidity increased 0.04 kPa·min. An upward inflection in Tes indicated the upper limit of physiological compensability (Pcrit), which was then used to quantify ωmax. Local sweat rate, activated sweat gland density, and sweat gland output on the back and arm were simultaneously measured throughout. Peak aerobic capacity increased POST-TRN by approximately 14% (PRE-TRN: 45.8 ± 11.8 mL·kg·min; POST-TRN: 52.0 ± 11.1 mL·kg·min, P < 0.001). ωmax values became progressively greater from PRE-TRN (0.72 ± 0.06) to POST-TRN (0.84 ± 0.08; P = 0.02), to POST-HA (0.95 ± 0.05; P = 0.03). These shifts in ωmax were facilitated by a progressively greater local sweat rate and activated sweat gland density from PRE-TRN (0.84 ± 0.21 mg·cm·min; 67 ± 20 glands per square centimeter) to POST-TRN (0.96 ± 0.21 mg·cm·min, P = 0.03; 86 ± 27 glands per square centimeter; P = 0.009), to POST-HA (1.15 ± 0.21 mg·cm·min; P < 0.001; 98 ± 35 glands per square centimeter; P < 0.001). No differences in sweat gland output were observed. A greater ωmax occurred after 8 wk of aerobic training, but ωmax was further augmented with heat acclimation, indicating only a partially increased heat loss capacity with training. These ωmax values may assist future predictions of heat stress risk in untrained/trained unacclimated individuals and trained heat-acclimated individuals.

Mitigation of heat stress risks through building energy efficiency upgrade: a case study of Melbourne, Australia

People spend most of their time indoor during a heatwave period, as such assessment of indoor heat stress is an important issue for public health care. In this study, the impact of building energy efficiency in mitigating the risks of experiencing heat stress by the occupants different energy-rated dwellings was investigated under the 2009 Melbourne heatwave scenario. First of all, distributions of different energy-rated houses and the percentage of people living in those houses were calculated. Indoor heat stress conditions of the different energy-rated houses were calculated using building simulation software EnergyPlus and two well-established heat stress indices: wet bulb globe temperature and discomfort index. The results showed that residents of 0.9 energy star-rated houses are approximately 50% more vulnerable to experiencing heat stress during a heatwave compared to the residents of 5.4 energy star-rated houses. It was revealed that upgrading energy efficiency of existing dwellings could be one of the most effective heatwave mitigation measures. If the entire lower energy-rated houses can be upgraded to 5.4-star, the percentage of people that are at risk of being exposed to extreme heat stress conditions for 6 h could reduce from 50% to only 4%.

Heat stress risk profiles for three non-woven coveralls

ABSTRACTThe ACGIH® Threshold Limit Value® (TLV®) is used to limit heat stress exposures so that most workers can maintain thermal equilibrium. That is, the TLV was set to an upper limit of Sustainable exposures for most people. This article addresses the ability of the TLV to differentiate between Sustainable and Unsustainable heat exposures for four clothing ensembles over a range of environmental factors and metabolic rates (M). The four clothing ensembles (woven clothing, and particle barrier, water barrier and vapor barrier coveralls) represented a wide range of evaporative resistances. Two progressive heat stress studies provided data on 480 trials with 1440 pairs of Sustainable and Unsustainable exposures for the clothing over three levels of relative humidity (rh) (20, 50 and 70%), three levels of metabolic rate (115, 180, and 254 Wm−2) using 29 participants. The exposure metric was the difference between the observed wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and the TLV. Risk was characterized by odds ratios (ORs), Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, and dose-response curves for the four ensembles. Conditional logistic regression models provided information on ORs. Logistic regressions were used to determine ROC curves with area under the curve (AUC), model the dose-response curve, and estimate offsets from woven clothing. The ORs were about 2.5 per 1°C-WBGT for woven clothing, particle barrier, and water barrier and for vapor barrier at 50% rh. When using the published Clothing Adjustment Values (CAVs, also known as Clothing Adjustment Factors, CAFs) or the offsets that included different values for vapor barrier based on rh, the AUC for all clothing was 0.86. When the fixed CAVs of the TLV were used, the AUC was 0.81. In conclusion, (1) ORs and the shapes of the dose-response curves for the nonwoven coveralls were similar to woven clothing, and (2) CAVs provided a robust way to account for the risk of nonwoven clothing. The robust nature of CAV extended to the exclusion of different adjustments for vapor barrier by rh.

A Novel Adjustable Concept for Permeable Gas/Vapor Protective Clothing: Balancing Protection and Thermal Strain.

Armed forces typically have personal protective clothing (PPC) in place to offer protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents. The regular soldier is equipped with permeable CBRN-PPC. However, depending on the operational task, these PPCs pose too much thermal strain to the wearer, which results in a higher risk of uncompensable heat stress. This study investigates the possibilities of adjustable CBRN-PPC, consisting of different layers that can be worn separately or in combination with each other. This novel concept aims to achieve optimization between protection and thermal strain during operations. Two CBRN-PPC (protective) layers were obtained from two separate manufacturers: (i) a next-to-skin (NTS) and (ii) a low-burden battle dress uniform (protective BDU). In addition to these layers, a standard (non-CBRN protective) BDU (sBDU) was also made available. The effect of combining clothing layers on the levels of protection were investigated with a Man-In-Simulant Test. Finally, a mechanistic numerical model was employed to give insight into the thermal burden of the evaluated CBRN-PPC concepts. Combining layers results in substantially higher protection that is more than the sum of the individual layers. Reducing the airflow on the protective layer closest to the skin seems to play an important role in this, since combining the NTS with the sBDU also resulted in substantially higher protection. As expected, the thermal strain posed by the different clothing layer combinations decreases as the level of protection decreases. This study has shown that the concept of adjustable protection and thermal strain through multiple layers of CBRN-PPC works. Adjustable CBRN-PPC allows for optimization of the CBRN-PPC in relation to the threat level, thermal environment, and tasks at hand in an operational setting.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mitigation Options on Heat Stress for Sydney, Australia

AbstractGlobal warming, in combination with the urban heat island effect, is increasing the temperature in cities. These changes increase the risk of heat stress for millions of city dwellers. Given the large populations at risk, a variety of mitigation strategies have been proposed to cool cities—including strategies that aim to reduce the ambient air temperature. This paper uses common heat stress metrics to evaluate the performance of several urban heat island mitigation strategies. The authors found that cooling via reducing net radiation or increasing irrigated vegetation in parks or on green roofs did reduce ambient air temperature. However, a lower air temperature did not necessarily lead to less heat stress because both temperature and humidity are important factors in determining human thermal comfort. Specifically, cooling the surface via evaporation through the use of irrigation increased humidity—consequently, the net impact on human comfort of any cooling was negligible. This result suggests that urban cooling strategies must aim to reduce ambient air temperatures without increasing humidity, for example via the deployment of solar panels over roofs or via cool roofs utilizing high albedos, in order to combat human heat stress in the urban environment.

Health Promotion Futures.

Health Promotion Futures.

Uncertainty in the measurement of indoor temperature and humidity in naturally ventilated dairy buildings as influenced by measurement technique and data variability

The microclimatic conditions in dairy buildings affect animal welfare and gaseous emissions. Measurements are highly variable due to the inhomogeneous distribution of heat and humidity sources (related to farm management) and the turbulent inflow (associated with meteorologic boundary conditions). The selection of the measurement strategy (number and position of the sensors) and the analysis methodology adds to the uncertainty of the applied measurement technique. To assess the suitability of different sensor positions, in situations where monitoring in the direct vicinity of the animals is not possible, we collected long-term data in two naturally ventilated dairy barns in Germany between March 2015 and April 2016 (horizontal and vertical profiles with 10 to 5 min temporal resolution). Uncertainties related to the measurement setup were assessed by comparing the device outputs under lab conditions after the on-farm experiments. We found out that the uncertainty in measurements of relative humidity is of particular importance when assessing heat stress risk and resulting economic losses in terms of temperature-humidity index. Measurements at a height of approximately 3 m–3.5 m turned out to be a good approximation for the microclimatic conditions in the animal occupied zone (including the air volume close to the emission active zone). However, further investigation along this cross-section is required to reduce uncertainties related to the inhomogeneous distribution of humidity. In addition, a regular sound cleaning (and if possible recalibration after few months) of the measurement devices is crucial to reduce the instrumentation uncertainty in long-term monitoring of relative humidity in dairy barns.

A cross-Canada knowledge transfer and exchange workplace intervention targeting the adoption of sun safety programs and practices: Sun Safety at Work Canada

Outdoor workers have a higher risk for skin cancers and heat stress. Workplaces need solutions relevant to their needs, proven to be effective in the real-world, and trialed in workplace settings. This article examines a workplace-based knowledge transfer and exchange intervention project, called Sun Safety at Work Canada. The objective was to have sun exposure included as a hazard within the workplaces’ health and safety management systems. Knowledge brokers from the research team engaged intensively and supported workplaces in the municipal and electrical-utility sectors to enhance sun safety for their outdoor workers. They provided assessment and feedback, sun safety resources, and sun safety training. The adoption of sun safety programs and practices was evaluated three times, in 12 workplaces, across three Canadian provinces. The intervention, interview questions and analyses were based upon an Organization Implementation Model. This article focuses on the barriers and facilitators to the adoption of sun safety, elements of the knowledge transfer and exchange intervention, and influences from the external environment. Over 40 h of interview data with workplace champions and key informants were analyzed using matrix-based methods and thematic coding. Barriers and facilitators to adoption included: the priority given to sun exposure as an occupational hazard; the workplaces’ available resources; the ability to engage key supervisors and workers; aspects of the intervention; and assistance from the knowledge brokers. The lack of provincial occupational health and safety legislation specific to ultraviolet exposure, and the regional climate also affected adoption. This intervention process is applicable to other hazards in occupational settings.

Physiology in practice: Utilising physiological markers to risk-manage work in the heat

Preventing heat-related illnesses during military training and deployments is not only crucial to the health of the individual but also in maintaining the operational capability of the defence forces. Practical efforts to identify and control the incidence of heat illness or injury have historically been focused on identifying high-risk environments and providing guidance for acceptable work/rest schedules. However, assessing risk of heat stress from environmental conditions alone fails to account for individual differences, such as acclimatisation status, aerobic fitness, body composition and morphology, prior heat injury, and personal motivation, which play an important role in an individual's response to working in hot environments. Consequently, individual soldiers can and do succumb to heat-related illness within an environment based risk-management framework. But also, policies that aim to protect the most susceptible personnel from injury may concomitantly restrain the majority from completing realistic military training even if it is within their individual capability. This session will outline the strengths and weakness of the traditional population based guidance framework for military activities in hot environments and examine how recent applied projects are advancing military capability to both minimize risk of heat-related illnesses and optimise soldiers’ physical performance.