The Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Human Movement Studies, The Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, QLD, 4059, Australia.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2013 Jul;86(5):519-27. doi: 10.1007/s00420-012-0786-0. Epub 2012 May 27.
To assess the symptoms of heat illness experienced by surface mine workers.
Ninety-one surface mine workers across three mine sites in northern Australia completed a heat stress questionnaire evaluating their symptoms for heat illness. A cohort of 56 underground mine workers also participated for comparative purposes. Participants were allocated into asymptomatic, minor or moderate heat illness categories depending on the number of symptoms they reported. Participants also reported the frequency of symptom experience, as well as their hydration status (average urine colour).
Heat illness symptoms were experienced by 87 and 79 % of surface and underground mine workers, respectively (p = 0.189), with 81-82 % of the symptoms reported being experienced by miners on more than one occasion. The majority (56 %) of surface workers were classified as experiencing minor heat illness symptoms, with a further 31 % classed as moderate; 13 % were asymptomatic. A similar distribution of heat illness classification was observed among underground miners (p = 0.420). Only 29 % of surface miners were considered well hydrated, with 61 % minimally dehydrated and 10 % significantly dehydrated, proportions that were similar among underground miners (p = 0.186). Heat illness category was significantly related to hydration status (p = 0.039) among surface mine workers, but only a trend was observed when data from surface and underground miners was pooled (p = 0.073). Compared to asymptomatic surface mine workers, the relative risk of experiencing minor and moderate symptoms of heat illness was 1.5 and 1.6, respectively, when minimally dehydrated.
These findings show that surface mine workers routinely experience symptoms of heat illness and highlight that control measures are required to prevent symptoms progressing to medical cases of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
评估露天矿工人患热病的症状。
澳大利亚北部三个矿区的 91 名露天矿工人完成了一项热应激问卷，评估他们患热病的症状。为了进行比较，还招募了 56 名地下矿工。根据他们报告的症状数量，参与者被分配到无症状、轻度或中度热病类别。参与者还报告了症状的出现频率以及他们的水合状态（平均尿液颜色）。
分别有 87%和 79%的露天和地下矿工出现了热病症状（p=0.189），有 81-82%的症状报告是矿工多次出现的。大多数（56%）露天矿工被归类为轻度热病症状，另有 31%被归类为中度；13%无症状。地下矿工也观察到类似的热病分类分布（p=0.420）。只有 29%的露天矿工被认为水合良好，61%的矿工轻度脱水，10%的矿工明显脱水，地下矿工的比例也相似（p=0.186）。热病类别与露天矿工的水合状态显著相关（p=0.039），但当将露天和地下矿工的数据汇总时，仅观察到一种趋势（p=0.073）。与无症状的露天矿工相比，轻度脱水时，患轻度和中度热病症状的相对风险分别为 1.5 和 1.6。
这些发现表明，露天矿工人经常出现热病症状，这强调需要采取控制措施来防止症状发展为热衰竭或中暑的医疗案例。
