Influence of occupational heat stress on labour productivity – a case study from Chennai, India

Abstract

Purpose – Raise in temperatures due to climate change is likely to increase the heat stress in occupations that are physically exerting and performed outdoors which might potentially have adverse health and productivity consequences. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the productivities in construction work under the influence of heat stress using the predicted mean vote (PMV) index. Design/methodology/approach – Field studies were conducted during May 2014 which is summer time in Chennai. Continuous heart rate of workers and wet bulb globe temperature measurements are conducted for workers engaged in different jobs in construction. Metabolic rates and the workload of the workers from heart rate were calculated using the ISO method 8996 and the PMV values are calculated using the tool developed by Malchaire based on the method ISO 7730. Direct observations and personal interviews were conducted to substantiate the productivity estimations. Findings – The results showed that workers working outdoors with moderate and heavy workload exceeded the threshold limit value of 28°C and had adverse productivity impacts (18-35 per cent productivity loss), whereas the workers engaged in light indoor work was not affected by heat stress and consequent productivity losses. The productivity estimations using the PMV index is found to be statistically significant for three types of construction works (Pearson correlation coefficient value of −0.78) and also correlated well with the observations and self-reported productivities of the workers. Originality/value – The method used in this paper provides a scientific and reliable estimation of the productivities which may benefit the industry to set realistic project completion goals in hot weather and also implement interventions and policies to protect workers’ health. Developing adaptive strategies and implementing control measures are the need of the hour to protect worker’s health and economic losses in the face of climate change.

Assessment of Heat Stress Exposure among Construction Workers in the Hot Desert Climate of Saudi Arabia

“…Most of the construction activities observed were judged to require moderate or high workloads according to the reference table in the ACGIH guidelines (ACGIH, 2009). This is consistent with what has been perceived and described by construction workers (Chan and Yang, 2016; Venugopal et al , 2016) and confirmed by observation and measurement (Abdelhamid and Everett, 2002; Maiti, 2008; Rowlinson and Jia, 2014; Chinnadurai and Venugopal, 2016; Meade et al , 2016; Roja et al , 2016). Workers were determined to work far beyond the time allowed by the ACGIH TLV throughout their work shift, particularly outdoors and when performing heavy work activities indoors.…”

“…Although the indoor environment was sheltered from direct sun exposure, this study found that workers with moderate and heavy workloads were at risk of heat stress; the WBGT values exceeded the TLV for moderate and heavy workloads 38 and 66% of the time, respectively. Similar levels of risk were observed for indoor construction workers in India and Japan (Chinnadurai and Venugopal, 2016; Ueno et al , 2018). A possible explanation for the high indoor WBGT values in this study is that the houses were built from cement blocks, which makes them good conductors of thermal energy, with little ability to maintain cooler indoor temperatures in the absence of mechanical ventilation at this stage of construction.…”

Heat Stress and Thermal Perception amongst Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in India and Singapore

“…A majority of HCWs also reported that heat stress was able to adversely influence their productivity, judgment, and emotions. This is consistent with other studies that have demonstrated that heat stress reduces work capacity [16], increases errors [17] and accidents [18], and deteriorates health and productivity [19,20]. However, most HCWs are neutral about their job commitment being affected by heat stress.…”

Heat Stress among Steel Workers in Al Jubail,Saudi Arabia

“…During high temperature various health hazard on the human body and various health disorders were found among workers in this high temperature 10,11 . Industrial workers in steel company are frequently exposed to severe heat stress during their duty, which may strongly decrease work efficiency and affect their health and survival 12 . In the best of our knowledge there is no previous study conducted in eastern region of Saudi Arabia to determine the heat stress among steel workers.…”