TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Occupational heat stress: multi-country observations and interventions
JO  - International journal of environmental research and public health
A1  - Ioannou, Leonidas G.
A1  - Mantzios, Konstantinos
A1  - Tsoutsoubi, Lydia
A1  - Nintou, Eleni
A1  - Vliora, Maria
A1  - Gkiata, Paraskevi
A1  - Dallas, Constantinos N.
A1  - Gkikas, Giorgos
A1  - Agaliotis, Gerasimos
A1  - Sfakianakis, Kostas
A1  - Kapnia, Areti K.
A1  - Testa, Davide J.
A1  - Amorim, Tânia
A1  - Dinas, Petros C.
A1  - Mayor, Tiago S.
A1  - Gao, Chuansi
A1  - Nybo, Lars
A1  - Flouris, Andreas D.
SP  - e18126303
EP  - e18126303
VL  - 18
IS  - 12
N2  - BACKGROUND: Occupational heat exposure can provoke health problems that increase the risk of certain diseases and affect workers' ability to maintain healthy and productive lives. This study investigates the effects of occupational heat stress on workers' physiological strain and labor productivity, as well as examining multiple interventions to mitigate the problem. <br><br>METHODS: We monitored 518 full work-shifts obtained from 238 experienced and acclimatized individuals who work in key industrial sectors located in Cyprus, Greece, Qatar, and Spain. Continuous core body temperature, mean skin temperature, heart rate, and labor productivity were collected from the beginning to the end of all work-shifts. <br><br>RESULTS: In workplaces where self-pacing is not feasible or very limited, we found that occupational heat stress is associated with the heat strain experienced by workers. Strategies focusing on hydration, work-rest cycles, and ventilated clothing were able to mitigate the physiological heat strain experienced by workers. Increasing mechanization enhanced labor productivity without increasing workers' physiological strain. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Empowering laborers to self-pace is the basis of heat mitigation, while tailored strategies focusing on hydration, work-rest cycles, ventilated garments, and mechanization can further reduce the physiological heat strain experienced by workers under certain conditions.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-7827
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126303
ID  - ref1
ER  -