“…However, manufacturing plants with heat generating equipment are also at risk of high indoor temperatures ( Pogačar et al , 2018 ; Ciuha et al , 2019 ). In Ghana, one of major barriers to workers adopting heat adaptation strategies is lack of training on this issue, management commitment, and heat related policy regulations ( Nunfam et al , 2020 ). Taken together, a strategic plan should aim to (i) identify a threshold ambient condition where the heat plan will be actioned, (ii) determine cooling options which can be implemented by workers during the day, and (iii) implement training to help workers adopt cooling solutions, and to learn the signs and symptoms of heat illness.…”
Section: Covid-19 Ppe and Occupational Heat Stressmentioning
Treatment and management of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), requires increased adoption of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be worn by workers in healthcare and industry. In warm occupational settings, the added burden of PPE threatens worker health and productivity, a major lesson learned during the West-African Ebola outbreak which ultimately constrained disease control. In this paper, we comment on the link between COVID-19 PPE and occupational heat strain, cooling solutions available to mitigate occupational heat stress, and practical considerations surrounding their effectiveness and feasibility. While the choice of cooling solution depends on the context of the work and what is practical, mitigating occupational heat stress benefits workers in the healthcare and industrial sectors during the COVID-19 disease outbreak.
“…However, manufacturing plants with heat generating equipment are also at risk of high indoor temperatures ( Pogačar et al , 2018 ; Ciuha et al , 2019 ). In Ghana, one of major barriers to workers adopting heat adaptation strategies is lack of training on this issue, management commitment, and heat related policy regulations ( Nunfam et al , 2020 ). Taken together, a strategic plan should aim to (i) identify a threshold ambient condition where the heat plan will be actioned, (ii) determine cooling options which can be implemented by workers during the day, and (iii) implement training to help workers adopt cooling solutions, and to learn the signs and symptoms of heat illness.…”
Section: Covid-19 Ppe and Occupational Heat Stressmentioning
Treatment and management of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), requires increased adoption of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be worn by workers in healthcare and industry. In warm occupational settings, the added burden of PPE threatens worker health and productivity, a major lesson learned during the West-African Ebola outbreak which ultimately constrained disease control. In this paper, we comment on the link between COVID-19 PPE and occupational heat strain, cooling solutions available to mitigate occupational heat stress, and practical considerations surrounding their effectiveness and feasibility. While the choice of cooling solution depends on the context of the work and what is practical, mitigating occupational heat stress benefits workers in the healthcare and industrial sectors during the COVID-19 disease outbreak.
“…The scope and spectrum of work-related heat stress effects from the perspective of climate change on workers in high danger of being exposed to heat include physiological, psychological, behavioural, health and safety impact as well as social and productivity concerns (Dunne et al, 2013;Hanna et al, 2011;Kjellstrom et al, 2016a;Kjellstrom et al, 2009b;Nunfam et al, 2019a;Nunfam et al, 2019b;Venugopal et al, 2016a;Xiang et al, 2014a). Nonetheless, evidence of awareness and research accentuating the scope of social impact and the relationship between heat exposure concerns on safety, health, productivity, and adaptation policies for workers are inadequate (Kjellstrom et al, 2016a;Miller, 2014;UN, 2011;Venugopal et al, 2016a).…”
Section: Social Dimensions and Impacts Of Climate Change-related Heatmentioning
Adverse effects of occupational heat stress in the context of changing climate on working populations are subtle but considerably harmful. However, social dimensions and impacts of climate change-related occupational heat concerns on workers' safety and health, productivity, and well-being are often overlooked or relegated as minor issues in social impact analyses of occupational heat exposure due to climate change. This paper offers a conceptual framework based on an appraisal and synthesis of the literature on social impacts of climate change-related occupational heat exposure on workers' safety and health, productivity, and social welfare and the quest to localise and achieve sustainable development goals. A sustained global, national, institutional, and individual collaborative involvement and financial support for research, improved adaptation and social protection strategies, predominantly in the developing world, where a large number of the people work outdoors, can reduce heat exposure and boost the resilience and adaptive capacity of workers to facilitate efforts to achieve sustainable development goals.
“…This study was carried out in Ghana located in the West African sub-region. Ghana is associated with a tropical weather condition, intensifying temperature and risk of heat exposure, inadequate technological advancement and lower adaptive capacity due to barriers to heat stress adaptation strategies ( Nunfam et al., 2020 ). The climate conditions in Ghana put outdoor workers in its mining industry, particularly in the informal and small-scale mining (SSM) as well as the large-scale mining (LSM) sectors in danger of occupational heat stress.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“… Figure 2 A map illustrating five mining sites situated in the Western Region of Ghana. Source: Reprinted by permission from Springer Nature, International Journal of Biometeorology, Barriers to occupational heat stress risk adaptation of mining workers in Ghana ( Nunfam et al., 2020a ). …”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Following the last decade, research efforts in extant literature related to heat exposure studies in Africa, which have used either quantitative or qualitative methods, or both, to evaluate work-related heat stress have progressed (e.g., Frimpong et al, 2020 ; Frimpong et al, 2017 ; Ngwenya et al, 2018 ; Nunfam et al, 2020 ; Nunfam et al, 2021 ). However, except for studies (e.g., Miller, 2014 ; Nunfam et al, 2018 ; Venugopal et al, 2016a , b ), not much interests have centered on studies linked to social impacts of work-related heat stress on various cohort of workers.…”
Although mixed methods research proves significant in understanding complex social phenomenon, inadequate research has explored its utility in heat exposure studies. The convergent mixed methods analysis comprising 320 surveys and two focus group interviews were used to evaluate the social impacts of occupational heat stress on Ghanaian mineworkers to enlighten policy choices for the purpose of complementarity. The study contributes to mixed methods study by affirming the practical use of between-method triangulation and complementarity. The merged quantitative and qualitative results also showed adequate corroboration and complementarity between both data, to illustrate the social impacts of work-related heat stress on mining workers as heat-related comorbidity, productive capacity loss, anxiety, slow pace of work, and inadequate social well-being. The mixed methods results would inform policy options on the health and safety of work settings, managing occupational heat stress, and adaptation guidelines in the mining industry.
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