The heat exposure risk to outdoor workers in Brazil

Heat exposure is a major cause of health issues in outdoor workers. The aim of this study is to show a macro analysis of the heat exposure risk (HER) countrywide through the WBGT index. The index estimates are conducted from 50 years of meteorological observations. The HER takes into account the lig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of environmental & occupational health 2020-07, Vol.75 (5), p.281-288
Main Authors: Pires Bitencourt, Daniel, Alves Maia, Paulo, Cauduro Roscani, Rodrigo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Environmental monitoring
Exposure
Heat
Heat illness
high temperature
occupational diseases
Occupational exposure
occupational risk
Shift work
Workload
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Summary:Heat exposure is a major cause of health issues in outdoor workers. The aim of this study is to show a macro analysis of the heat exposure risk (HER) countrywide through the WBGT index. The index estimates are conducted from 50 years of meteorological observations. The HER takes into account the light, moderate, and heavy workloads, and the HER maps are separately generated decade by decade and season by season. It was found that HER has stronger effect on heavy workload workers during summer. It is even more critical in the Northern, Northeastern, and in part of Midwestern Brazil. There was HER increase in the last two decades, showing the need of applying control measures. It is very important taking continuous actions such as environmental and physiological monitoring, light clothing, and flexible work shifts.
ISSN:1933-8244
2154-4700
DOI:10.1080/19338244.2019.1633991