Assessment of occupational heat stress risk among agriculture workers in Poland and Bulgaria

Błażejczyk, Krzysztof; Kazandjiev, Valentin; Degórski, Marek; Dimitrov, Peter

doi:1429-7132

Pobierz

Tytuł: Assessment of occupational heat stress risk among agriculture workers in Poland and Bulgaria

Abstrakt:

Agriculture is a sector of the national economy strongly influenced by climatic conditions. A majority of jobs in agriculture are still performed outdoors, under various weather conditions. Several meteorological situations can lead to severe disturbances in the organism of agricultural workers, with high temperature, intensive insolation and elevated air humidity proving especially dangerous, as such weather conditions can lead to overheating and dehydration of the body. The work presented here compares biothermal conditions in Poland and Bulgaria from the point of view of occupational health. To this end, use was made of several indices assessing heat stress in human beings, namely: Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), HUMIDEX, Water Loss (SW), Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and Physiological Subjective Temperature (PST). When account was taken of the occurrence of heat extremes as defined by these indices, it proved possible to distinguish categories of health risk regarded as small, increased or great. Comparison of the two agricultural regions reveals significantly more severe heat stress in Bulgaria than in Poland, in terms of both the frequency of heat-stress episodes and the number of hours (daily and monthly) associated with heat stress. This ensures that dangerous conditions for agriculture workers are primarily present in Bulgaria, rather than in Poland.

Bibliografia:

1. Adam-Poupart A., Labreche F., Smargiassi A., Duguay P., Busque M-A., Gagné C., Zayed J., 2012. Impacts des changements climatiques sur la santé et la sécurité des travailleurs. Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST). http://www.irsst.qc.ca/media/documents/PubIRSST/R-733.pdf [11 September 2015].
2. Błażejczyk K., 2011. Mapping of UTCI on the local scale (the case of Warsaw). Prace i Studia Geograficzne WGSR UW, vol. 47, pp. 275-283.
3. Błażejczyk K., Baranowski J., Błażejczyk A., 2014. Heat stress and occupational health and safety - spatial and temporal differentiation. Miscellanea Geographica - Regional Studies on Development, vol. 18, 1, pp. 61-67.
4. Błażejczyk K., Bröde P., Fiala D., Havenith G., Holmér I., Jendritzky G., Kampmann B., Kunert A., 2010. Principles of the new Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) and its application to bioclimatic research on the European scale. Miscelanea Geographica, vol. 14, pp. 91-102.
5. Błażejczyk K., Epstein Y., Jendritzky G., Staiger H., Tinz B., 2012. Comparison of UTCI to selected thermal indices. International Journal of Biometeorology, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 515-535.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0453-2 -
6. Błażejczyk K., Kunert A., 2006. Differentiation of the bioclimatic conditions of urban areas (the case of Poland) [in:] 6th International Conference on Urban Climate, Preprints, June 12-16 2006, Göteborg, Sweden, Göteborg University, pp. 213-216.
7. Błażejczyk K., Kunert A., 2011. Bioklimatyczne podstawy rekreacji i turystyki w Polsce. Warszawa: IGiPZ PAN, Monografie, no. 14, 366 pp.
8. Bröde P., Błażejczyk K., Fiala D., Havenith G., Holmér I., Jendritzky G., Kuklane K., Kampmann B., 2013. The Universal Thermal Climate Index UTCI Compared to Ergonomics Standards for Assessing the Thermal Environment. Industrial Health, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 16-24.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.2012-0098 -
9. Bröde P., Fiala D., Błażejczyk K., Holmér I., Jendritzky G., Kampmann B., Tinz B., Havenith G., 2012. Deriving the operational procedure for the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). International Journal of Biometeorology, 56, 3, pp. 481-494.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0454-1 -
10. CDC, 2008. Heat-Related Deaths among Crop Workers - United States, 1992-2006. MMWR Weekly, vol. 57, no. 24, pp. 649-653.
11. Epstein Y., Moran D.S., 2006. Thermal comfort and heat stress indices. Industrial Health, vol. 44, pp. 388-398.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.44.388 -
12. Fiala D., Havenith G., Bröde P., Kampmann B., Jendritzky G., 2012. UTCI-Fiala multi-node model of human heat transfer and temperature regulation. International Journal of Biometeorology, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 429-441.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0424-7 -
13. Heat-waves: risks and responses, 2004. Health and Global Environmental Change, Geneva: Health and Global Environmental Change, SERIES, 2, WHO.
14. ISO 7243, 1989. Hot environments; estimation of the heat stress on working man, based on the WBGT-index (wet bulb globe temperature). Geneva: International Organisation for Standardization.
15. ISO 7933, 2004. Hot environments - analytical determination of thermal stress. Geneva: International Organisation of Standardization.
16. Jackson L.L., Rosenberg H.R., 2010. Preventing heat-related illness among agricultural workers. Journal of Agromedicine, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 200-215.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2010.487021 -
17. Kampmann B., Bröde P., Fiala D., 2012. Physiological responses to temperature and humidity compared to the assessment by UTCI, WGBT and PHS. International Journal of Biometeorology, vol. 56, no. 3, pp. 505-513.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00484-011-0410-0 -
18. Kjellstrom T., Holmér I., Lemke B., 2009. Workplace heat stress, health and productivity - an increasing challenge for low- and middle-income countries during climate change. Global Health Action, 2.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v2i0.2047 -
19. Leibman A.K., Augustave W., 2010. Agricultural Health and Safety: Incorporating the Worker Perspective. Journal of Agromedicine, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 192-199.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2010.486333 -
20. Masterson J., Richardson F.A., 1979. Humidex, A Method of Quantifying Human Discomfort Due to Excessive Heat and Humidity. Downsview, Ontario, Environment Canada.
21. Nag P.K., Nag A., 2009. Vulnerability to heat stress: Scenario in Western India. Ahmedabad, National Institute of Occupational Health. http://searo.who.int/india/topics/occupational_health/Occupational_Health_Vulnerability_to_heat_stress_scenario_of_western_India.pdf [15 September 2015].
22. Parsons K., 2003. Human thermal environments. The effects of hot, moderate and cold temperatures on human health, comfort and performance. 2nd edition. London: Taylor and Francis.
23. Yaglou C.P., Minard D., 1957. Control of heat casualties at military training centres. American Medical Association Archives of Industrial Health, vol. 16, pp. 302-316.