Heat stress intervention research in construction: gaps and recommendations

Developing heat stress interventions for construction workers has received mounting concerns in recent years. However, limited efforts have been exerted to elaborate the rationale, methodology, and practicality of heat stress intervention in the construction industry. This study aims to review previ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial Health 2017/05/31, Vol.55(3), pp.201-209
Main Authors: YANG, Yang, CHAN, Albert Ping-chuen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
5-D model
Construction
Construction industry
Construction workers
Health aspects
Heat stress
Heat stress disorders
Heat tolerance
Heat transmission
Intervention
Multidisciplinary research
Occupational health
Prevention
Research framework
Research methods
Researchers
Review
Sampling methods
Workers
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Summary:Developing heat stress interventions for construction workers has received mounting concerns in recent years. However, limited efforts have been exerted to elaborate the rationale, methodology, and practicality of heat stress intervention in the construction industry. This study aims to review previous heat stress intervention research in construction, to identify the major research gaps in methodological issues, and to offer detailed recommendations for future studies. A total of 35 peer-reviewed journal papers have been identified to develop administrative, environmental or personal engineering interventions to safeguard construction workers. It was found that methodological limitations, such as arbitrary sampling methods and unreliable instruments, could be the major obstacle in undertaking heat stress intervention research. To bridge the identified research gaps, this study then refined a research framework for conducting heat stress intervention studies in the construction industry. The proposed research strategy provides researchers and practitioners with fresh insights into expanding multidisciplinary research areas and solving practical problems in the management of heat stress. The proposed research framework may foster the development of heat stress intervention research in construction, which further aids researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in formulating proper intervention strategies.
ISSN:0019-8366
1880-8026
DOI:10.2486/indhealth.2016-0047