Occupational Heat Stress Impacts on Health and Productivity in a Steel Industry in Southern India

Krishnamurthy, Manikandan; Ramalingam, Paramesh; Perumal, Kumaravel; Kamalakannan, Latha Perumal; Chinnadurai, Jeremiah; Shanmugam, R.; Srinivasan, K; Venugopal, Vidhya

doi:10.1016/j.shaw.2016.08.005

Cited by 114 publications

(87 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…The high temperatures contribute to increased prevalence of kidney stones [4] and signs of dehydration and symptoms of heatrelated illness [5,6]. Besides consequences in physical and psychological well-being, heat stress is also associated with worksite accidents and reduced productivity [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydration Status and Kidney Health of Factory Workers Exposed to Heat Stress: A Pilot Feasibility Study

et al. 2019

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Dehydration associated with heat stress increases the risk of workplace injury or illness, decreases productivity, and may contribute to the chronic kidney disease epidemic identified in outdoor workers from hot climates. There is limited research on the effects of chronic occupational heat stress among indoor workers. We aimed to test the feasibility of measuring markers of hydration and kidney function in foundry factory workers in Southern Brazil, exposed and not exposed to heat stress. Factory workers exposed to heat stress (wet bulb globe temperature ≥28.9) and not exposed to heat were identified by management and invited to participate. Clinical and biochemical markers of hydration and kidney function were evaluated before and after a single 8.5 h work shift (lunch time not included). Feasibility outcomes included rates of enrolment, % completion of study protocols, and time to complete data collection. This study was deemed feasible with 80% enrolment and 90% completion of the protocol. Among the preselected workers, the enrolment rate was 91%. All subjects completed the physiological measures and blood collection and 95% completed the urine studies. Mean time to complete data collection pre-shift was 19.1 ± 4.2 min and post-shift: 14.3 ± 4.0 min. Workers exposed to heat stress had a greater decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate compared to controls over the work shift (–13 ± 11 vs. –5 ± 7 mL/min; p < 0.01). We demonstrated the feasibility and challenges of conducting future hydration and kidney function research among indoor factory workers. Further study is needed to determine if exposure to indoor heat contributes to a decline in kidney function.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydration Status and Kidney Health of Factory Workers Exposed to Heat Stress: A Pilot Feasibility Study

et al. 2019

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“…En otra perspectiva, Krishnamurthy, et al (2017), estudian el impacto del estrés térmico ocupacional sobre la salud y la productividad en una industria siderúrgica en el sur de la India. Con la premisa que los trabajadores en industrias siderúrgicas en entornos tropicales con altas temperaturas ambientales están sometidos a ambientes térmicamente estresantes que pueden crear riesgos bien conocidos de enfermedades relacionadas con el calor y limitar la productividad de los trabajadores.…”

Section: Salud Y Seguridad Relación Con Otros Constructosunclassified

Impacto de la seguridad y la seguridad ocupacional en la productividad de las organizaciones: implicaciones para el Ecuador

Villavicencio-Peralta

Arévalo-Álvarez

Villavicencio-Mindiola

2017

P. del C.

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The management of the health and safety of workers has evolved along with production management and still has a way to go. It is an issue of impact and relevance for the current management, given the changes in work systems over time. Given the relevance and importance it has on the performance of an organization, it is a subject that has been studied for several decades and is still under investigation; There is still a lack of consensus among researchers since the definition, systems and practices to be applied and the form of execution and control, which is closely related to the fact that the context is a determining aspect in the application of such systems. This document reviews, among other aspects, the conceptual references of occupational health and safety; As well as their related constructs, models, case studies, which may serve as a basis for their application in the Latin American context, and specifically in Ecuador. Among the main associated constructs are technical, economic aspects, culture, human capital, innovation, organizational performance, risk and change management. The relationship of occupational health and safety with improved productivity, the impact it can have on developing economies, lack of consensus, are opportunities for the development of future projects.

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“…A recent systematic review and meta-analysis reported that during, or at the end of work under heat stress, 35% of workers experience occupational heat strain, while 30% of workers report productivity losses (Flouris et al 2018a). However, occupational heat stress has been mainly studied to date in jobs associated with the military, construction, mining, agricultural, and metal industries (Brake and Bates 2002;Hunt et al 2016;Jay and Brotherhood 2016;Krishnamurthy et al 2017;Ryan and Euler 2017), as they include intense physical activity, wearing of protective clothing, and/or exposure to extreme ambient conditions. For outdoor workers it is well documented that high environmental heat strain has marked negative effects on workers' productivity (Ioannou et al 2017;Sahu et al 2013), whereas the effects on indoor workers are less clear and the impact more complex as industrial heat production and building architecture become factors of importance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction between Indoor Occupational Heat Stress and Environmental Temperature Elevations during Heat Waves

Ciuha

Pogačar

Bogataj

et al. 2019

Weather, Climate, and Society

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Occupational heat strain is a public health threat, and for outdoor industries there is a direct influence from elevated environmental temperatures during heat waves. However, the impact in indoor settings is more complex as industrial heat production and building architecture become factors of importance. Therefore, this study evaluated effects of heat waves on manufacturing productivity. Production halls in a manufacturing company were instrumented with 33 dataloggers to track air temperature and humidity. In addition, outdoor thermal conditions collected from a weather station next to the factory and daily productivity evaluated as overall equipment efficiency (OEE) were obtained, with interaction between productivity and thermal conditions analyzed before, during, and after four documented heat waves (average daily air temperature above 24°C on at least three consecutive days). Outdoor (before: 21.3° ± 4.6°C, during: 25.5° ± 4.3°C, and after: 19.8° ± 3.8°C) and indoor air temperatures (before: 30.4° ± 1.3°C, during: 32.8° ± 1.4°C, and after: 30.1° ± 1.4°C) were significantly elevated during the heat waves (p < 0.05). OEE was not different during the heat waves when compared with control, pre-heat-wave, and post-heat-wave OEE. Reduced OEE was observed in 3-day periods following the second and fourth heat wave (p < 0.05). Indoor workers in settings with high industrial heat production are exposed to a significant thermal stress that may increase during heat waves, but the impact on productivity cannot be directly derived from outdoor factors. The significant decline in productivity immediately following two of the documented heat waves could relate to a cumulative effect of the thermal strain experienced during work combined with high heat stress in the recovery time between work shifts.

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Occupational Heat Stress Impacts on Health and Productivity in a Steel Industry in Southern India

Cited by 114 publications

References 19 publications

Hydration Status and Kidney Health of Factory Workers Exposed to Heat Stress: A Pilot Feasibility Study

Hydration Status and Kidney Health of Factory Workers Exposed to Heat Stress: A Pilot Feasibility Study

Impacto de la seguridad y la seguridad ocupacional en la productividad de las organizaciones: implicaciones para el Ecuador

Interaction between Indoor Occupational Heat Stress and Environmental Temperature Elevations during Heat Waves

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