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Lyu P, Song S. Severity Analysis for Occupational Heat-related Injury Using the Multinomial Logit Model. Saf Health Work 2024; 15:200-207. [PMID: 39035802 PMCID: PMC11255939 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Workers are often exposed to hazardous heat due to their work environment, leading to various injuries. As a result of climate change, heat-related injuries (HRIs) are becoming more problematic. This study aims to identify critical contributing factors to the severity of occupational HRIs. Methods This study analyzed historical injury reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Contributing factors to the severity of HRIs were identified using text mining and model-free machine learning methods. The Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) was applied to explore the relationship between impact factors and the severity of HRIs. Results The results indicated a higher risk of fatal HRIs among middle-aged, older, and male workers, particularly in the construction, service, manufacturing, and agriculture industries. In addition, a higher heat index, collapses, heart attacks, and fall accidents increased the severity of HRIs, while symptoms such as dehydration, dizziness, cramps, faintness, and vomiting reduced the likelihood of fatal HRIs. Conclusions The severity of HRIs was significantly influenced by factors like workers' age, gender, industry type, heat index , symptoms, and secondary injuries. The findings underscore the need for tailored preventive strategies and training across different worker groups to mitigate HRIs risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyi Lyu
- Safety Automation and Visualization Environment (SAVE) Laboratory, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA
| | - Siyuan Song
- Safety Automation and Visualization Environment (SAVE) Laboratory, Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA
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Kang Y, Baek I, Park J. Assessing heatwave effects on disabled persons in South Korea. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3459. [PMID: 38342943 PMCID: PMC10859370 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54015-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the risk of heatwaves for people with disabilities and other socioeconomic attributes using Health Care Bigdata in South Korea. The Health Care Bigdata provides detailed information on heat-related illness (HRI) patients in 2011-2020 from seven major cities. We employed the Distributed Lag Nonlinear Model (DLNM) to measure heat waves' relative risk. Our findings are four-fold. First, the relative risk (RR) of disabled people was 5.075 (95% confidence interval 4.476-5.674), significantly surpassing that of non-disabled people, 3.296 (2.517-4.075). Second, among various personal characteristics studied, disability influenced RR the most, exceeding impacts from elderly (4.457: 3.748-5.166), low-income (3.909: 3.004-4.813), and outdoor (4.052: 2.940-5.164). Third, the disabled young group (5.305: 4.414-6.195) was more vulnerable than the non-disabled elderly group (4.287: 3.576-4.999). Lastly, no significant difference in relative risk was observed between the mild (4.413: 3.855-4.971) and severe disabled groups (4.013: 3.121-4.905).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeji Kang
- Kongju National University, 56 Gongjudaehak-Ro, Gongju, 32588, South Korea
| | - Ingul Baek
- Kongju National University, 56 Gongjudaehak-Ro, Gongju, 32588, South Korea
| | - Jongchul Park
- Kongju National University, 56 Gongjudaehak-Ro, Gongju, 32588, South Korea.
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Wang J, Jiang C, Yang G, Bai G, Yu S. Study on thermal health and its safety management mode for the working environment. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1227630. [PMID: 37670839 PMCID: PMC10475595 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1227630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermal health concerns have gained significant attention due to the heightened health risks faced by workers who are exposed to extreme thermal environments for prolonged periods. To ensure the occupational health and safety of such workers, and to enhance work efficiency, it is imperative to examine the characteristics of thermal health in the working environment. This study proposes three key elements of thermal health in the working environment, namely thermal health states, absence of heat-related illnesses, and heat adaptability, which can be used to develop a safety management framework for thermal health. By exploring the interconnections between these elements, the study summarizes their features and outlines the necessary precautions to safeguard them. The PDCA (plan/do/check/action) cycle management mode is utilized as a framework, with the three components of thermal health forming the core, to establish a safety management mode for thermal health. To ensure that employees work in a safe, healthy, comfortable, and productive environment, the assessment and control objectives of the thermal environment are regularly revised through the use of labor protection technology and thermal environment control technology. This paper presents a PDCA cycle safety management mode based on the characteristics of thermal health, which offers novel insights and approaches for assessing and managing workers' thermal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jue Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mine Thermodynamic Disasters and Control of Ministry of Education, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
- School of Safety Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Cheng Jiang
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Guang Yang
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Gang Bai
- Key Laboratory of Mine Thermodynamic Disasters and Control of Ministry of Education, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
- School of Safety Science and Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
| | - Shixuan Yu
- School of Civil Engineering, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, Liaoning, China
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Gariazzo C, Taiano L, Bonafede M, Leva A, Morabito M, De' Donato F, Marinaccio A. Association between extreme temperature exposure and occupational injuries among construction workers in Italy: An analysis of risk factors. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 171:107677. [PMID: 36495676 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Extreme temperatures have impact on the health and occupational injuries. The construction sector is particularly exposed. This study aims to investigate the association between extreme temperatures and occupation injuries in this sector, getting an insight in the main accidents-related parameters. METHODS Occupational injuries in the construction sector, with characteristic of accidents, were retrieved from Italian compensation data during years 2014-2019. Air temperatures were derived from ERA5-land Copernicus dataset. A region based time-series analysis, in which an over-dispersed Poisson generalized linear regression model, accounting for potential non-linearity of the exposure- response curve and delayed effect, was applied, and followed by a meta-analysis of region-specific estimates to obtain a national estimate. The relative risk (RR) and attributable cases of work-related injuries for an increase in mean temperature above the 75th percentile (hot) and for a decrease below the 25th percentile (cold) were estimated, with effect modifications by different accidents-related parameters. RESULTS The study identified 184,936 construction occupational injuries. There was an overall significant effect for high temperatures (relative risk (RR) 1.216 (95% CI: (1.095-1.350))) and a protective one for low temperatures (RR 0.901 (95% CI: 0.843-0.963)). For high temperatures we estimated 3,142 (95% CI: 1,772-4,482) attributable cases during the studied period. RRs from 1.11 to 1.30 were found during heat waves days. Unqualified workers, as well as masons and plumbers, were found to be at risk at high temperatures. Construction, quarry and industrial sites were the risky working environments, as well as specific physical activities like working with hand-held tools, operating with machine and handling of objects. Contact with sharp, pointed, rough, coarse 'Material Agent' were the more risky mode of injury in hot conditions. CONCLUSIONS Prevention policies are needed to reduce the exposure to high temperatures of construction workers. Such policies will become a critical issue considering climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Gariazzo
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Department, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Roma, Italy.
| | - Luca Taiano
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Department, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Roma, Italy
| | - Michela Bonafede
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Department, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Roma, Italy
| | - Antonio Leva
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Department, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Roma, Italy
| | - Marco Morabito
- CNR-IBE, National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Bioeconomy, Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), Italy
| | - Francesca De' Donato
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Marinaccio
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene Department, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), Roma, Italy
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Koch M, Matzke I, Huhn S, Gunga HC, Maggioni MA, Munga S, Obor D, Sié A, Boudo V, Bunker A, Dambach P, Bärnighausen T, Barteit S. Wearables for Measuring Health Effects of Climate Change–Induced Weather Extremes: Scoping Review. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2022; 10:e39532. [PMID: 36083624 PMCID: PMC9508665 DOI: 10.2196/39532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Although climate change is one of the biggest global health threats, individual-level and short-term data on direct exposure and health impacts are still scarce. Wearable electronic devices (wearables) present a potential solution to this research gap. Wearables have become widely accepted in various areas of health research for ecological momentary assessment, and some studies have used wearables in the field of climate change and health. However, these studies vary in study design, demographics, and outcome variables, and existing research has not been mapped.
Objective
In this review, we aimed to map existing research on wearables used to detect direct health impacts and individual exposure during climate change–induced weather extremes, such as heat waves or wildfires.
Methods
We conducted a scoping review according to the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) framework and systematically searched 6 databases (PubMed [MEDLINE], IEEE Xplore, CINAHL [EBSCOhost], WoS, Scopus, Ovid [MEDLINE], and Google Scholar). The search yielded 1871 results. Abstracts and full texts were screened by 2 reviewers (MK and IM) independently using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria comprised studies published since 2010 that used off-the-shelf wearables that were neither invasive nor obtrusive to the user in the setting of climate change–related weather extremes. Data were charted using a structured form, and the study outcomes were narratively synthesized.
Results
The review included 55,284 study participants using wearables in 53 studies. Most studies were conducted in upper–middle-income and high-income countries (50/53, 94%) in urban environments (25/53, 47%) or in a climatic chamber (19/53, 36%) and assessed the health effects of heat exposure (52/53, 98%). The majority reported adverse health effects of heat exposure on sleep, physical activity, and heart rate. The remaining studies assessed occupational heat stress or compared individual- and area-level heat exposure. In total, 26% (14/53) of studies determined that all examined wearables were valid and reliable for measuring health parameters during heat exposure when compared with standard methods.
Conclusions
Wearables have been used successfully in large-scale research to measure the health implications of climate change–related weather extremes. More research is needed in low-income countries and vulnerable populations with pre-existing conditions. In addition, further research could focus on the health impacts of other climate change–related conditions and the effectiveness of adaptation measures at the individual level to such weather extremes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Koch
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ina Matzke
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sophie Huhn
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hanns-Christian Gunga
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Physiology, Center for Space Medicine and Extreme Environment Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Martina Anna Maggioni
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Physiology, Center for Space Medicine and Extreme Environment Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - David Obor
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Ali Sié
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Centre de Recherche en Santé, Nouna, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Aditi Bunker
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Peter Dambach
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Till Bärnighausen
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
- Africa Health Research Institute, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
| | - Sandra Barteit
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Real-World Evidence for the Association between Heat-Related Illness and the Risk of Psychiatric Disorders in Taiwan. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19138087. [PMID: 35805746 PMCID: PMC9265553 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between the heat-related illness (HRI) and the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. From 2000 to 2015, there were 3126 patients with newly diagnosed HRI selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database, along with 31,260 controls matched for gender and age. Fine and Gray’s analysis was used to compare the risk of psychiatric disorders during the 16 years of follow-up. Among the subjects, 523 of the HRI patients and 3619 of the control group (1774.18 vs. 1193.78 per 100,000 person-years) developed psychiatric disorders. Compared with non-HRI patients, the HRI ones had a 3.849-fold risk of being attacked by psychiatric disorders (95% CI: 3.632−4.369, p < 0.001) after adjusting for potential confounders. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the relationship between the HRI and the listed psychiatric disorders was determined by the exclusion of the first-year psychiatric events after the HRI. In spite of deleting the psychiatric diagnoses of the first five years, the HRI was still correlated with the development of psychiatric disorders with the exception of schizophreniform disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, and acute stress disorder. Therefore, our findings concluded that the HRI could be a potential influence on the increased hazard of psychiatric disorders.
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Moohialdin A, Trigunarsyah B, Islam MS, Siddiqui MK. Physiological impacts on construction workers under extremely hot and humid weather. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2022; 95:315-329. [PMID: 34984491 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-021-01785-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Construction worker health and safety is a primary concern for construction companies and researchers. Arabian Gulf region, like Saudi Arabia, has been experiencing extremely hot and humid (EHH) weather, which directly affects construction workers' health and safety. This study aims to address the problem of EHH weather conditions and their impacts on construction workers' physiological status. METHODS This study assesses the impacts of EHH weather on construction workers' physiological status through the measurement of workers' physical body parameters (age, height, and weight); type of activities; and assigned tasks. Thirty-five multinational workers participated in the measurements, which were conducted in real construction site conditions A quantitative analysis was then applied to quantify the physiological impacts of the weather conditions. Several hypotheses were tested to identify the significant impacts of individual and working aspects on the workers' physiological responses. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION The results provide empirical evidence that the recorded Heart Rate (HR) exceeded the acceptable physiological zones for construction workers exposed to extremely hot and humid weather conditions. Physical body parameters, work activities, and worker status significantly influence construction workers' physiological responses. This study recommends adopting a continuous monitoring approach as an early warning system under extremely hot and humid weather conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ammar Moohialdin
- QMS and ISO Lead Auditor, Associate Fellow of the HEA, QUT - Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Bambang Trigunarsyah
- School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Muhammad Saiful Islam
- Construction Engineering and Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, 31261, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mohsin K Siddiqui
- Civil and Environmental Engineering - Construction Engineering and Management, University of Delaware, 342C Dupont Hall, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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