Roelofs Cora
1 CR Research/Consulting, Roxbury, MA, USA.
New Solut. 2018 Aug;28(2):344-357. doi: 10.1177/1048291118777874. Epub 2018 May 23.
Worker deaths from heat exposure are unlike heat deaths in the general population; workers tend to be outside in variable temperatures and younger than sixty-five years. Climate change will increase the frequency, duration, and variability of hot temperatures. Public health warning systems, such as the Heat Index of the National Weather Service, do not generally account for workers' greater likelihood of exposure to direct sunlight or exertion. Only 28% of the 79 worker heat-related fatalities during 2014-2016 occurred on days when the National Weather Service warning would have included the possibility of fatal heat stroke. Common heat illness prevention advice ignores workers' lack of control over their ability to rest and seek cooler temperatures. Additionally, acclimatization, or phased-in work in the heat, may be less useful given temperature variability under climate change. Workers' vulnerability and context of heat exposure should inform public health surveillance and response to prevent heat illness and death.
因高温暴露导致的工人死亡不同于普通人群中的高温死亡；工人往往在户外，温度多变，且年龄小于65岁。气候变化将增加炎热天气的频率、持续时间和变化性。公共卫生预警系统，如国家气象局的热指数，通常并未考虑到工人更有可能暴露在直射阳光下或从事高强度劳动。在2014年至2016年期间，79起与高温相关的工人死亡事件中，只有28%发生在国家气象局发出的预警包含致命中暑可能性的日子。常见的预防中暑建议忽略了工人对休息和寻找凉爽环境缺乏控制权这一情况。此外，考虑到气候变化下的温度变化性，适应环境或逐步在高温环境中工作可能效果不佳。工人的脆弱性和高温暴露环境应成为公共卫生监测和应对工作的依据，以预防中暑疾病和死亡。
